Peanut Butter in the Cafes

At work the other day, my coworker brought her lunch from the ECC. Instead of making the sandwich with the peanut butter she put it in a soup lid so her sandwich would not get soggy. She said “I know it looks gross. I hate the peanut butter from the ECC, but its all they have.” She prefers the packet of peanut butter from the Commuter Café because she feels uneasy about leaving the peanut butter exposed to the air is bad. Is the packaged peanut butter at Commuter better than the ECC? At Tilly dining hall they leave the peanut butter out but surround the container with ice. Does this mean that peanut butter should be refrigerated? When I was researching, I remember how every morning that I made breakfast in high school when I was half asleep I would always put the peanut butter in the fridge. I have no idea why and when I cam back from school I would open the fridge and laugh at myself. I did it again in my dorm room just last week when I was finished making peanut butter crackers. It must be a habit. Peanut butter does not need to be put in the refrigerator. I guess it is a personal choice. It does not save it from spoiling as with many other foods prolonged exposure to air will expire it. However in the case of the peanut butter in the cafeterias it is used up so quickly that it will not go bad and is completely safe to eat. One important fact to note though is that natural peanut butter may need to be refrigerated.