Health officials are investigating a multi-state salmonella outbreak they believe is linked to some Jif peanut butter products.
The Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other state and local health agencies, are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg, the agency said in a statement.
As a result, JM Smucker Co. is recalling many of its Jif peanut butter products produced at a plant in Lexington, Kentucky, for possible contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
So far, 14 people in 12 states have reported illnesses related to the outbreak, the CDC said. Two were hospitalized. All five people who contacted the CDC reported eating peanut butter, and four of them specifically ate Jif peanut butter before they got sick, the CDC said.
“Epidemiological evidence indicates that Jif brand peanut butter produced at the JM Smucker Company facility located in Lexington, KY, is the likely cause of illness in this outbreak,” the FDA said.
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The statement says that an analysis based on an environmental sample from 2010 has linked the current strain to the plant. “The FDA investigation is ongoing and more information will be provided as it becomes available,” the agency said.
Consumers should not eat, and restaurants and stores should not serve or sell, any of the recalled Jif peanut butter products, which have been shipped nationwide. And the products have a two-year shelf life, so consumers should check any they have on hand, the FDA says. The products have lot code numbers 1274425 to 2140425.
Some Jif products, with the same batch code numbers, were sent to canada and have been remembered, too.
“Our teams quickly mobilized to coordinate a comprehensive investigation in collaboration with the FDA and CFIA,” JM Smucker Co. said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Our number one priority is to deliver safe, quality products to our consumers. If consumers have products in their possession that match the description of the affected product, they should dispose of them immediately.
Neither JM Smucker Co. nor the FDA described the size of the recall.
The last illness was reported on May 1. States where illnesses were reported: Arkansas, Georgia (2 cases), Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Texas (2), Virginia, and Washington.
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Which Jif Peanut Butter products were recalled?
A complete list of recalled products is available from the FDA.
If you have used any of the products, the FDA recommends washing and disinfecting surfaces and utensils that might have come in contact with peanut butter. If you or someone in your household ate this peanut butter and has symptoms of salmonellosis, contact your health care provider.
Most people who get sick with salmonella develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. Patients may develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. More serious cases can include aches, headaches, high fever, lethargy, skin rashes, blood in urine or stool, and in some cases can be fatal.
The illness, which is called salmonellosis, usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. The CDC estimates that about 1.35 million people in the US get salmonellosis annually; some 26,500 are hospitalized and 420 die.
This is not the first peanut butter recall this year. In March, bouncy foodsLLC recalled 9,353 boxes or 161,692 total pounds of select peanut butter products because they may contain small pieces of stainless steel.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jif Peanut Butter Recall Announced Over Salmonella Concerns
Reference-finance.yahoo.com