On May 20, 2022 the J.M. Smucker Co. in Lexington Kentucky, USA, voluntarily recalled Select Jif Peanut Butter products due to potential Salmonella contamination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also issued an urgent alert regarding these products.
The FDA along with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella senftenberg infections associated with Selected Jif Peanut Butter products where Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis on an environmental sample indicated that a strain of the bacteria found at the same manufacturing plant in 2010, matches the strain causing illnesses in the current outbreak.
The FDA has recommended that “all potentially affected products are not eaten”. Fourteen infections related to the outbreak have been reported in the U.S. thus far, with 2 persons being hospitalized. Although no countries have been named in terms of exports, out of an abundance of caution and because the U.S. market is a major food supplier for The Bahamas, we urge consumers to adhere to the advice provided by the FDA. The affected products can be identified with lot codes between 1274425 and 2140425 which appear alongside the best-if-used-by date. If anyone has any of these products in their pantry, they are advised to “dispose of it immediately”.
Furthermore, restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve any recalled Jif brand Peanut Butter and for those who may have used the recalled product, they are urged to wash and sanitize the affected surfaces and utensils. The affected products may also be identified by their UPC as listed at: http://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts.
If you, your family or anyone you know may have eaten any one or more of these products and has shown signs of salmonellosis, please contact and visit your healthcare provider immediately. Salmonellosis is an illness usually characterized by diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting or abdominal cramps. Symptoms of illness usually develop within 12 to 72 hours after consuming the affected food. Most persons are able to recover from this illness without the need to be hospitalized, however, those who are more vulnerable, such as young children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, are at a greater risk of severe outcomes.
The investigation is ongoing. To keep up on the latest recalls and alerts, please visit http://www.bahfsabahamas.com then click on NEWS and select ALERTS or copy and paste the following URL: https://www.bahfsabahamas.com/alerts.
Feel free to contact BAHFSA at bahfsa@bahamas.gov.bs or patriciajjohnson@bahamas.gov.bs for any additional inquiries.
