Jif peanut butter recalls include treats sold at gas stations nationwide

Small individually wrapped cakes sold at gas stations and convenience stores nationwide are the latest products to be recalled due to a multi-state outbreak of salmonella linked to Jif peanut butter.

Americans are being cautioned against eating a range of baked goods, sandwiches, candy, ice cream, trail mix and ready-to-eat salad products made with the recalled Jif peanut butter, as snacks are pulled from stores, vending machines and restaurants across the country.

The wave began on May 20 with the J.M. Smucker Co. recall of multiple Jif brand peanut butter types, including creamy, crunchy, natural and reduced fat. In the two weeks since, at least 18 companies have recalled products containing Jif, and the public is now being cautioned about other food products.

At least 16 people from 12 states have been infected, with two hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Five out of five people who were sickened reported eating peanut butter and four of the five reported eating Jif before becoming ill, according to the CDC’s review of epidemiological information.

The actual number of sick people and affected states is likely higher, as some individuals recover without being tested, according to the CDC. “This product has a very long shelf life, so be sure to check any Jif peanut butter you have at home to make sure it has not been recalled,” it added.

Salmonella can cause symptoms including fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. It can be serious and sometimes fatal to children, as well as the frail and elderly. Most people who get Salmonella develop symptoms between six hours and six days after being exposed to the bacteria.

The outbreak strain of Salmonella Senftenberg was found in a J.M. Smucker plant in Lexington, Kentucky, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The recall impacts markets outside the U.S. as well, with the peanut butter also sold in Canada, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and Thailand, the agency said.

The original recall involved jars of peanut butter distributed nationwide and including products with lot codes 274425-2140425, with “425” at the end of the first seven digits.

Recalls so this week include packaged snacks and peanut butter cup ice cream.

The latest recall involves roughly 50,000 individually wrapped Prairie City Bakery Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ooey Gooey Butter Cake containing recalled Jif peanut butter. The treats were sold in 2-ounce packages and in 10 packs of 2-ounce packages, according to Vernon Hills, Illinois-based Prairie City Bakery.

Another recall has Vineland, New Jersey-based F&S Produce Co. recalling Protein Power Snack sold at Walgreens stores in New Jersey and New York. The product has been pulled from shelves and is past its expiration date of May 28, 2022, the company said on Tuesday.

A recall announced Monday involves peanut butter cup ice cream made by Baltimore, Maryland-based Taharka Brothers Ice Cream and distributed between March 1, 2022, to May 28, 2022, to grocery stores, restaurants and ice cream shops and direct-to-consumer delivery in the Maryland and DC area, according to a notice posted by the FDA.

The impacted products also include ready-to-eat chicken salad containing the recalled Jif distributed by an Amazon Go retail location in Washington, according to a May 27 public health alert from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.