By Shermain Bique-Charles
Although a large quantity of the JIF peanut butter recently recalled by the United States was found in the possession of residents here, the Acting Director of the Prices and Consumer Affairs Division, Orrin Steele, confirmed that no one was reported to have fallen ill after consuming it.
In May, the United States-based Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of certain jars of the product, which is manufactured by the JM Smucker Company, due to potential salmonella contamination.
The contaminated products carried lot codes 1274425 – 2140425, which are included alongside the ‘best-if-used-by’ date, and shoppers were warned that eating it could cause illness, and even death in rare cases.
Persons are advised to discard such jars immediately if found in their homes.
“I did not receive any reports of anyone consuming it, and getting sick as a result. We had a lot here. Some persons had it in their possession. Some discarded it, and others took it back to their supermarket for [refunds],” Steele said.
Meanwhile, it took the Central Board of Health about three days to remove all the contaminated JIF peanut butter from store shelves.
“We got 463 jars of peanut butter in the initial stages, which we disposed of safely at the landfill. Then after a week, we collected some from the supermarkets because some were actually in containers.
“Overall, we got a total of 500…. Everything was taken to the landfill,” Senior Health Officer Julianne Mannix told Observer.
Mannix also said there were no local reports of illness from consuming the peanut butter.