NEW YORK — Despite the fact that news of the peanut butter Salmonella outbreak has begun to subside and many major brands were not affected, peanut butter sales have continued to slide, according to new data from The Nielsen Co.

Sales of jarred peanut butter during the four-week period ended Feb. 21 were $87.2 million, down 2.3% from the same period in 2008, according to Nielsen. Also during the period, 41.8 million lbs of jarred peanut butter was sold, which was down 13.3% from the same period of the previous year and represented the lowest point of the three-year span Nielsen has tracked such data.

"While most brands of peanut butter — including the name brands that many consumers know and enjoy — were not subject to recall, the coverage the outbreak received has caused consumers to exercise an abundance of caution with respect to buying this product," said Todd Hale, senior vice-president, consumer and shopper insights at Nielsen. "The fact is that these brands are safe and should benefit once consumers recognize that the safety of these and most jarred peanut butters were not in question."