Check your Jif: The peanut butter I bought for sentimental reasons has been recalled (2024)

FDA

For years I’ve been loyal to Kroger brand crunchy peanut butter. The ingredient list is simple: peanuts, salt. And it’s usually under $2 a jar. But a recent memory of Jif peanut butter spread on saltine crackers — along with the starring role Jif plays in the new season of “Stranger Things” — led to an impulse buy that went completely upside down.

When I first heard news of the Jif recall, I thought to myself, “Not my jar of sentimental Jif. No way.” But a recent NPR article confirmed that the quarter of a jar of peanut butter I’d recently consumed was indeed part of recall and could very well be tainted with salmonella. My “not me” attitude quickly turned to “see you guys in the emergency room,” on multiple text threads. I waited. Every growl of the stomach elicited panic for at least three days. It’s now been over a week and I have no symptoms. Thankfully, it looks like my jar was spared.

Here’s what to do if your jar is under recall. From the FDA:

For Consumers

Follow these steps:

1. Check if you have Jif peanut butter in your home.
2. Locate the lot code on the back of the jar, under the Best If Used By Date (the lot code may be next to the Best If Used By Date for cups or squeeze pouches).
3. In the lot code, if the first four digits are between 1274 and 2140, and if the next three numbers after that are ‘425’, this product has been recalled and you should not consume this product. An example is below.

If you are unsure what to do with your recalled product, you can call or email J.M. Smucker Company for more information:

The J.M. Smucker Co.Hotline:800-828-9980
Website: jif.com/contact-usExternal Link Disclaimer

FDA recommends that if you have used the recalled Jif brand peanut butter that have lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425 and the first seven digits end with 425, 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 symptomsof salmonellosis, please contact your healthcare provider.

According to an article posted by the FDA on May 26, there had been 16 total illnesses and two hospitalizations linked to the outbreak. One person from Arkansas had become ill.

If you purchased a jar that is under recall, you could be awarded a refund. From NPR:

Smucker is promising to reimburse people who have to throw away their peanut butter. Because of intense interest in the Jif recall, it has created a special web page to let people submit a claim for up to five products at a time. It plans to send coupons to pay for a replacement item, but that process could take as long as six weeks.