Over 700 Wilbur Chocolates Are Now Included In The Jif Recall
Jif brand's recent peanut butter recall came after products made in Kentucky by the J.M. Smucker Company were linked to multiple recent cases of salmonella poisoning, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A subsequent investigation by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this month confirmed that 14 sicknesses in 12 U.S. states had been reported. The CDC performed whole genome sequencing on the bacterial strain — salmonella senftenberg, to be specific — establishing a connection between it and the Lexington, Kentucky facility based on a 2010 sample collected there.
This previous recall provides the background necessary to understand a more recent one, which includes products sold by Wilbur Chocolate, both at their store in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and through their website. Per the FDA, each of the 795 recalled eight-ounce boxes of these products was made by Cargill for Wilbur Chocolate, and contains Jif brand peanut butter as an ingredient. These products include Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs and Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Meltaways (in both milk and dark chocolate varieties), Peanut Butter Fudge, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge, and Milk Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers.
Unlike the previous recall, however, Cargill voluntarily recalled these products and no illnesses have been reported from them.
How to identify recalled Wilbur chocolates
In the case of the original Jif recall, the FDA notes the lot codes all conclude "425" (for instance, 2140425). It's an easy way to identify all Jif peanut butter that may be contaminated with salmonella because the 425 identifies the facility where the products were made (in this case, Lexington, Kentucky).
A similar numeric sequence can be used in terms of recognizing recalled Cargill products made for the Wilbur Chocolate store. The products were sold between February 9 and March 28, 2022, according to the FDA, and all feature lot codes that begin with the numbers 220 (220216AC, for example, refers to the dark chocolate covered peanut butter egg, while 220219AF is the lot code for the peanut butter and chocolate fudge). The complete listing of recalled lot codes is enumerated in the FDA announcement.
The FDA recommends that consumers who may still have products at home from either of these recalls either discard them or return them to the store where they were purchased. Under no circumstances should they be eaten. The CDC reports that the incubation time for salmonella (meaning the period between contaminated food consumption and onset of symptoms like fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea) can be as many as six days.