On May 20, 2022, The J. M. Smucker Co. recalled a variety of Jif® Peanut Butter products after they were linked to a Salmonella outbreak.
The recalled products were sold nationwide in the U.S. and labeled with Lot Code numbers between 1274425 – 2140425.
As of May 1, 2022, there were 14 illnesses reported in twelve states, including: Arkansas (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (1), Ohio (1), North Carolina (1), New York (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (2), Virginia (1), and Washington State (1).
The recall involves more than a dozen types of Jif® Peanut Butter, including Creamy, Crunchy, 3/4-oz. and 1.1-oz. cups, Natural Peanut Butter, Honey Spread, squeezable pouches, and more.
For a full list of recalled products, visit www.jif.com/recall.
According to the FDA recall notice, 5 out of 5 people who were interviewed reported eating peanut butter before their illness, and 4 out of 5 said they specifically ate certain types of Jif Peanut Butter.
The FDA matched the outbreak strain of Salmonella with an environmental sample from a J. M. Smucker Co. facility in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2020. This means that Jif® Peanut Butter processed at that facility “is the likely cause of illnesses in this outbreak,” FDA said.
This is not the first time the FDA has investigated Salmonella in peanut butter. The last outbreak was in 2014, when multiple brands of peanut butter were recalled from major brands, including Arrowhead Mills, MaraNatha, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, and Kroger.
One of the largest outbreaks was in 2008 and 2009, when at least 714 people were infected with Salmonella and 9 people died after eating peanut butter from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).
The problem is that peanut butter is commonly eaten by children, who are far more likely to develop a severe Salmonella illness than adults. The symptoms may include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, muscle aches, headaches, lethargy, bloody urine or stool, and death.
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