FDA & CDC Investigate Jif Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak

The CDC and the FDA, along with local and state partners, are looking into an outbreak of Salmonella linked to Jif peanut butter sold in the United States.

Salmonella can cause serious and even fatal infections in elderly people, young children, and individuals with weakened immune systems. Otherwise healthy people who contract Salmonella usually experience diarrhea, nausea, fever, and abdominal pain.

The J.M. Smucker Company Jif peanut butter products in question were produced at the facility in Lexington, Kentucky.

J.M. Smucker Company has voluntarily recalled Jif brand peanut butter with product code numbers falling between “1274425 – 2140425.” Lot codes can be found alongside best-if-used-by date.

Based on the CDC’s review, epidemiological information suggests that several people reported consuming different Jif brand peanut butter before becoming ill. The FDA is conducting Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis on samples collected in 2010 at the Lexington facility.

The bar-coded DNA from multiple bacteria are combined and put in the whole genome sequencer. The analysis shows that the 2010 samples match the strain causing the illness. Thus, the peanut butter produced at this location is “likely” the cause of the current outbreak.

Currently, the FDA’s investigation is ongoing and this story will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Courtesy of the CDC

Courtesy of the CDC