Tag: Salmonella Senftenberg

Jif’s Salmonella outbreak. What we know so far

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg infections believed to be linked to consumption of Jif peanut butter products.

Jif peanut butters are manufactured by The JM Smucker Co.

outbreak-salmonella-peanut-butter-cdc-case-count-mapThe fourteen confirmed cases are scattered across twelve US states, including Arkansas (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (1), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (2), Virginia (1), and Washington (1). Two of the victims have been hospitalized.

The first reported victim became ill on February 17, 2022.

Outbreak victims range in age from less than one year old to 85 years old. The median age is 56, and 71% of the victims are female.

Interviews conducted with five of the outbreak victims revealed that all five had consumed peanut butter prior to falling ill. Two of the five had eaten Jif Creamy Reduced Fat peanut butter, one person reported Jif Natural Creamy Low Sodium peanut butter, and one person reported Jif Natural Creamy peanut butter.

The CDC cautions that the true number of sick people in an outbreak such as this is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. 

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the outbreak strain is closely related to a strain of Salmonella recovered in 2010 from an environmental sample in the Lexington, Kentucky, manufacturing plant where the implicated Jif peanut butter products are made.

A review of the FDA’s inspection database reveals that the Lexington facility was inspected on five separate occasions since 2009, including inspections in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2018.

The 2010 and 2015 inspections were classified as Voluntary Action Indicated (VAI), meaning the inspector found deficiencies that needed to be corrected by the company. There is no list of the reported deficiencies in the database for either of the VAI inspections.

Recall status

jif-front-backThe JM Smucker Co. has recalled a long list of Jif products, covering all lot codes from 1274425 to 2140425, but only with the first seven digits ending in 425 (the identifier code for the Lexington production plant).

Recalled products were distributed across the United States and exported to Canada.

The company has issued a separate recall notice listing the products distributed in Canada.

In addition to being sold through retail stores and other outlets, peanut butter is often used as an ingredient in other products. Recalls of products containing Jif peanut butter have already begun.

For an up-to-date linked list of announced recall notices, please select the Jif/Smucker Recalls menu item at the top of the page.

CDC’s advice to consumers

  • Do not eat any recalled Jif brand peanut butter. Throw it away.
  • This product has a very long shelf life, so be sure to check any Jif peanut butter you have at home to make sure it has not been recalled.
  • Wash surfaces and containers that may have touched the recalled peanut butter using hot, soapy water.
  • Call your healthcare provider if you have one or more of these symptoms after eating recalled peanut butter:
    • Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
    • Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
    • Bloody diarrhea
    • So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
    • Signs of dehydration, such as:
      • Not peeing much
      • Dry mouth and throat
      • Feeling dizzy when standing up

CDC’s advice to businesses

  • Do not sell or serve recalled Jif brand peanut butter.
  • Wash and sanitize containers and surfaces that may have come in contact with recalled peanut butter.

Read more about previous outbreaks of Salmonella involving peanut butter in TAINTED. From Farm Gate to Dinner Plate, Fifty Years of Food Safety Failures, now available in digital, print and audiobook editions.

TAINTED formats 3
“Reads like a true crime novel” – Food Safety News

Salmonella outbreak linked to Jif peanut butter products

The FDA, together with the CDC and state and local partners are investigating an outbreak of fourteen (14) Salmonella Senftenberg infections in twelve US states.

Two people have been hospitalized.

Cases have been reported in 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 (1).

Image supplied by CDC

According to the FDA, five out of five outbreak victims who were interviewed reported consuming peanut butter prior to becoming ill. Four of the five specifically mentioned Jif peanut butter.

Although the FDA has not yet found the outbreak strain in a finished product sample, the agency reports that a strain of Salmonella recovered from an environmental sample collected at the Jif Lexington, Kentucky, production plant twelve years ago (in 2010) is a genetic match for the Salmonella strain recovered from victims in this current outbreak.

This archival culture, combined with the information from outbreak victims who had consumed Jif peanut butter, catalyzed a voluntary recall on the part of The J.M. Smucker Co., the manufacturer of the Jif family of products.

The recall

The recall includes lot codes from 1274425 to 2140425, but only for lot codes that end in “425,” which is the identifier code for the Lexington, Kentucky production plant. Recalled products were distributed nationwide in the United States.

For a complete list of affected products, please refer to the J.M. Smucker recall notice.

As the recalled products have a two-year shelf life, the FDA urges consumers to check their pantries and discard or return any of the products included in the recall.

The lot code can be found near the bottom of the product label, directly below the BEST IF USED BY date, as illustrated here.

FDA recommends:

  • Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any recalled Jif brand peanut butter that have lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425. This product has a two-year shelf life so consumers should check any Jif peanut butter in their home.
  • If you have used the recalled Jif brand peanut butter that have lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425, you should wash and sanitize surfaces and utensils that could have touched the peanut butter.
  • If you or someone in your household ate this peanut butter and have symptoms of salmonellosis, please contact your healthcare provider.

Read more about Salmonella in peanut butter in TAINTED. From Farm Gate to Dinner Plate, Fifty Years of Food Safety Failures, now available in digital, print and audiobook editions.

TAINTED formats 3
“Reads like a true crime novel” – Food Safety News