Jif peanut butter recall: FDA links select products to salmonella outbreak

The J. M. Smucker Co. is recalling select Jif peanut butter products for potential Salmonella contamination.

Why it matters: The voluntary recall comes amid a multistate outbreak of infections linked to certain Jif peanut butter products produced by the company’s facility in Lexington, Kentucky.

• Health officials from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the ongoing outbreak and say there have been 14 reported cases of Salmonella Senftenberg infections with two hospitalizations.

Details: The recall is for various peanut butter products including creamy, crunchy and natural varieties packaged in dozens of different sizes and containers that were distributed nationwide.

• Recalled products include lot codes between 1274425 through 2140425, only if the first seven digits end with 425, which shows they were manufactured in the Lexington facility.
• The codes are located alongside best-if-used-by date.
• Georgia and Texas each had two reported cases of Salmonella Senftenberg, the FDA said in its investigation. States with one case include: Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington.

The big picture: According to a recall notice posted on the FDA website, Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. In healthy people, it can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

What they’re saying: "Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any recalled Jif brand peanut butter," the FDA said on its outbreak investigation webpage.

• “If consumers have products matching the above description in their possession, they should dispose of it immediately,” the company said in the recall notice.

Be smart: Find the full list of recalled peanut butter products on both the FDA recall notice or company press release.