JM Smucker has withdrawn several Jif peanut butter products sold in the United States and Canada because of potential salmonella contamination, which federal regulators have linked to 14 diseases.
In a statement posted on the Federal Food and Drug Administration’s website on Friday, the company encouraged consumers who have purchased potentially contaminated products to throw them away immediately.
The listed products include several types of creamy, crunchy low-fat products and natural peanut butter in various sizes, as well as a jar of 40 ounces of natural honey.
Smucker said it was “coordinating an in-depth investigation” with the FDA. Withdrawn items are sold throughout the country.
Salmonella is a bacterium that can grow in food and can cause fever, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps if swallowed. In young children, the elderly or those with weakened immune systems, the infection can be more serious and potentially fatal.
The FDA said peanut butter-related salmonella cases were reported in a dozen states as of Sunday. Two people were hospitalized, the statement said.
The agency said epidemiological evidence showed that Jif peanut butter, produced at the Smucker Company’s facility in Lexington, Kentucky, was “the likely cause of the outbreak.”
The seizure concerned Jif peanut butter products with batch numbers from 1274425 to 2140425, with figures ending in 425. Batch numbers are included together with the date of best use.
Each month, the FDA announces the withdrawal of several products – some due to cross-contamination with allergens, others because “foreign materials” such as metal have been found in food, and sometimes due to bacterial contamination.
In October, hundreds of people in the United States fell ill with an epidemic of salmonella involving imported red, white, and yellow onions. Last summer, 31 people fell ill after eating hydroponic lettuce.
Add Comment