Multiple Varieties of Jif Peanut Butter Are Being Recalled Due to Salmonella Risk
It’s a very sad day when you have to throw out that brand new jar of crunchy peanut butter. And for fans of Jif, that day has unfortunately arrived. Due to the potential presence of salmonella bacteria in a handful of Jif-brand peanut butter products, J.M. Smucker Company (Jif’s parent company) has announced a voluntary recall on a number of their peanut butter products.
For those of us at home wondering if our jar of Jif peanut butter is safe, it’s important to note that the list of affected products includes crunchy and creamy peanut butter, no-sugar-added peanut butter, squeeze packs, and natural peanut butter options. Consumers can easily check their peanut butter’s label for the “lot code,” which is located right next to the Best If Used By date.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), products with lot codes between 1274425 and 2140435 are amongst those in the recall. Any potentially affected products will have a lot code that has the first seven digits ending with 425 — which specifies that the peanut butter was manufactured in Lexington, Kentucky.
While thankfully there have been zero deaths reported, there have been 14 potentially connected illnesses and two hospitalizations to date. As the peanut butter was distributed nationwide, 12 states were amongst those that reported the cases: Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
In 2010, the FDA collected an environmental sample of a strain of salmonella at the Smucker’s Lexington, Kentucky facility and when matched to that, they were able to connect the current outbreak to the previously collected sample. “Epidemiologic evidence indicates that Jif brand peanut butter produced in the J.M. Smucker Company facility located in Lexington, KY, is the likely cause of illness in this outbreak,” the agency reported.
Jif announced that they are “committed to reimbursing” customers who have purchased any of the affected products and further apologizes for the concern that it might create. “Please know our number one priority is to deliver safe, quality products to our consumers. When there is any potential issue we act swiftly, as we have in this instance,” a spokesperson of J.M. Smucker Company stated.
Symptoms of a salmonella infection can include abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. The FDA recommends calling your health care provider if you have experienced any of these symptoms. Additionally, any consumer who has questions can also reach out to Jif via its website, jif.com/contact-us, or by calling 800-828-9980.
If you have purchased any of the potentially affected products, it is recommended that you do not eat, sell, or serve the peanut butter, and discard of any products whose labels match the lot codes in question. Furthermore, you should thoroughly wash and sanitize any utensils or surfaces that may have come in contact with the peanut butter.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first incident of its kind this year either. Between Mars Wrigley recalling multiple products due to potential metal fragments, and Skippy having to recall over 160,000 pounds of peanut butter due to a “potential manufacturing issue,” it seems as if consumers and fans alike just can’t catch a break.