The J.M. Smucker Company Announces a Limited Voluntary Recall on Two Specific Best-If-Used-By Dates of 16 oz. Smucker’s® Natural Peanut Butter Chunky Due to Possible Health Risk

November 16, 2011 – The J.M. Smucker Company today announced a limited voluntary recall on two specific Best-If-Used-By dates of 16 oz. Smucker’s® Natural Peanut Butter Chunky because it may be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

This product was distributed in: Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
The affected product, which is packaged in 16 oz. jars, is as follows:

o   UPC: 5150001701 (located on the side of the jar’s label below the bar code)
o   Production Codes: 1307004 and 1308004
o   Best-If-Used-By dates: August 3, 2012 and August 4, 2012
o   Chunky product only (not creamy)
o   Impacted product would have been purchased between November 8 – 17, 2011

No illnesses related to this issue have been reported and the product is being recalled out of an abundance of caution for consumer safety.

The recall was initiated as the result of a routine sampling program by the company, which revealed that these finished products may contain the bacteria.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).