Ruth Desmond
Ruth Desmond (circa 1906-September 30, 1988) was an American consumer advocate best known for her work to have the Food and Drug Administration increase the amount of peanuts in peanut butter. She was known as the "Peanut Butter Grandma."

Desmond founded the Federation of Homemakers in 1959 out of her home in Arlington, Virginia. The impetus for founding the federation was to during the cranberry crisis of 1959, when cranberry sauce was being sold despite being contaminated with a carcinogenic pesticide. Desmond was upset that the food she was serving to her family, which she thought was safe, was not. She pushed government agencies to adopt food safety policies, including regulations on nitrates in baby food, additives in jelly beans, and caffeine in soft drinks.

Desmond once sued the United States Department of Agriculture for allowing hot dog manufacturers to place the words "all beef" and "all meat" on their labels even when they included other ingredients. After the court ruled in her favor, she called the Justice Department and told them it would be an injustice if they appealed.

She died September 30, 1988.
Q204711
Food and Drug Administration
Concept
Q147651
peanut butter
Concept
None
Federation of Homemakers
UNK
Q107126
Arlington, Virginia
LOC
Q501542
United States Department of Agriculture
Concept
Q1553390
Justice Department
Concept
Q88195418
Ruth Desmond
PER
1906-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1906
DATE
1988-09-30T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
September 30, 1988
DATE
1959-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1959
DATE
1959-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1959
DATE
1988-09-30T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
September 30, 1988
DATE
date of birth