Jif recalls thousands of peanut butter products after salmonella outbreak

(Gray News) - The J.M. Smucker Company is recalling a number of Jif peanut butter products over concerns of salmonella contamination after an investigation showed more than a dozen people might have become sick from eating them.

The Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other state and local partners say they are investigating an outbreak of salmonella poisoning involving fourteen people in 12 different states. Two of them had to be hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

The CDC says five of the 14 patients contacted them directly, and all five had eaten different varieties of Jif peanut butter products before becoming ill.

After studying samples collected at the J.M. Smucker Company plant in Lexington, Kentucky, the FDA says peanut butter made at the plant is the likely source of the outbreak.

Smucker issued a voluntary recall for several dozen products with lot codes of 1274425 through 2140425, but only if the first seven digits end in 425, which indicates they were made at the Lexington facility. The lot code can be found alongside the best-if-used-by date.

The FDA has a list of affected Jif products and UPC codes on their website but advises that the list may not be complete and to check the lot code of any Jif product.

The product has a two-year shelf life, so consumers are urged to check any packages of Jif peanut butter in their homes, regardless of purchase date.

The FDA says not to eat, serve or sell any Jif peanut butter products that are part of the recall, and if you have used any recalled peanut butter to wash and sanitize surfaces and utensils that have touched it.

They also say if someone in your household has eaten the recalled peanut butter and have symptoms of salmonella poisoning to contact your health care provider immediately.

The FDA says salmonella poisoning can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare cases, it can get into the bloodstream and cause more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.