I did an internet searched today to see if anyone else complained of hard pieces in their peanut butter. I found this web site with the same complaint. I have eaten this brand peanut butter for about a decade without this problem. The last jar I returned because it tasted bad. In this jar I separated one of the hard pieces out. The way it crunched in my mouth I was concerned it was glass, but was not. It was clear like glass. Concerning - I could not crush it with the back of a large spoon like I was shown to do with crushing garlic. I was able to pierce and separate it with a sharp fingernail. If this was a piece of cooked peanut - why was it clear and not tan in color, and why so hard?