By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lroll@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority has advised the public to be on high alert after a number of Jif Peanut Butter products were recently recalled in the United States due to concerns about potential salmonella contamination.

In a statement issued yesterday, BAHFSA said the selected products were voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer – the JM Smucker Company - in the US last week after concerns were raised about possible presence of salmonella bacteria.

According to international reports, the list of potentially affected products includes both crunchy and creamy peanut butter, natural peanut butter and no-sugar-added peanut butter among other products.

BAHFSA said the affected products can be identified with lot codes between 1274425 and 2140425 “which appear alongside the best-if-used-by date” and further urged consumers to discard these products if purchased.

Local restaurants and retailers have also been advised to refrain from selling the recalled items.

“On May 20, 2022 the JM Smucker Co in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, voluntarily recalled select Jif Peanut Butter products due to potential Salmonella contamination.The Food and Drug Administration has also issued an urgent alert regarding these products,” BAHFSA said yesterday.

“The FDA along with the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention are investigating a multi-state 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 US thus far, with two persons being hospitalised. Although no countries have been named in terms of exports, out of an abundance of caution and because the US market is a major food supplier for The Bahamas, we urge consumers to adhere to the advice provided by the FDA.”

The agency said salmonellosis is an illness that usually includes symptoms of diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting or abdominal cramps.

These symptoms, BAHFSA added, can be developed within 12 to 72 hours after consuming the affected food.

“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’, BAHFSA added.

“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 sanitise the affected surfaces and utensils. The affected products may also be identified by their UPC as listed at: www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts.”

Anyone who may have eaten the products or have shown signs of salmonellosis are asked to visit their health care providers immediately.

“Most persons are able to recover from this illness without the need to be hospitalised, 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,” the authority said.