According to the FOOD and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety News Website, Smucker’s is recalling a peanut butter product sold in the US and Canada due to possible salmonella contamination.
Fourteen people in 12 states are reported to have been sickened by salmonella, most of them after eating Jif peanut butter made by Smucker’s Corp. The FDA has been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies to investigate the food produced at Smucker’s Factory in Lexington, Kentucky.
The recalled products have been sold in retail stores and online across Canada, where there have been no confirmed cases.
People infected with salmonella usually develop symptoms within 12 to 36 hours of infection, but can also develop symptoms from 6 to 72 hours. The most common symptom is diarrhea, sometimes with blood. Other symptoms may include fever, headache and abdominal cramps. The disease usually lasts four to seven days, and the diarrhea can sometimes be severe enough to require hospitalization. The elderly, infants and those with compromised immune systems may face severe cases or even die.
The FDA advised consumers not to eat the affected product but to dispose of it immediately.