Jif peanut butter products are made by the JM Smucker Company. This class action concerns Jif peanut butter products that were sold in the US in the first half of 2022, which the complaint alleges are contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg and recalled from the market on May 20, 2022.
The Nationwide Class for this action is all persons in the US who bought Jif peanut butter products that were recalled by the JM Smucker Company on or around May 20, 2022. A South Carolina Subclass has also been proposed for those in the above class who are citizens and residents of South Carolina.
According to the complaint, Smucker markets its Jif peanut butter products as being safe for human consumption. One ad shows a parent holding a child, saying, in part, “Consumers continue to reach for our trusted brands—like Smucker’s fruit spreads and Jif peanut butter…”
Page 3 of the complaint displays a question and answer that look like they come from a website FAQ. The question is, “Is Jif peanut butter healthy?” The answer provided is, “We pride ourselves on offering quality products with the best ingredients. To see our nutrition facts, please visit each product listing for nutritional information.”
However, Smucker has now had to recall certain peanut butter products that were sold in the US between February and May 2022. The recall, the complaint alleges, involved more than forty products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg. The recalled products have lot codes beginning with 1274425 and 2140425, with the first group of seven numbers ending in 425.
The complaint quotes the recall as describing Salmonella as “an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.” Those who are healthy who become infected with Salmonella, the recall says, “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.”
The reason for the recall was an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg infections.
The strain for this outbreak matched a sample taken at a Lexington, Kentucky Smucker facility in 2010. The complaint quotes the FDA as saying, “Epidemiologic evidence indicates that Jif brand peanut butter produced in the JM Smucker Company facility located in Lexington, Kentucky, is the likely cause of illnesses in this outbreak.”
The investigation found sixteen people infected in twelve states, with sicknesses beginning between February 17 through May 1, 2022.
The complaint asks for refunds and other economic losses connected with the contaminated products, in addition to injunctive relief.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Jif Peanut Butter Contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg Complaint
June 8, 2022
Jif peanut butter products are made by the JM Smucker Company. This class action concerns Jif peanut butter products that were sold in the US in the first half of 2022, which the complaint alleges are contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg and recalled from the market on May 20, 2022.
Jif Peanut Butter Contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg ComplaintCase Event History
Jif Peanut Butter Contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg Complaint
June 8, 2022
Jif peanut butter products are made by the JM Smucker Company. This class action concerns Jif peanut butter products that were sold in the US in the first half of 2022, which the complaint alleges are contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg and recalled from the market on May 20, 2022.
Jif Peanut Butter Contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg Complaint