Salmonella: Health Ministry orders popular peanut butter brand off shelves

PETALING JAYA: The "Jif" brand peanut butter has been withdrawn from shelves due to salmonella bacteria contamination.

The Health Ministry said it had received a notification on the popular brand from the International Food Safety Authorities Networks.

"The notification said the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) ordered stocks of Jif peanut butter with the batch numbers 1274425 to 2140425 to be withdrawn because of salmonella contamination," Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement Monday (May 30).

He said the batch numbers had been distributed to several countries including Malaysia, Canada, Thailand, Honduras, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

"A check by the Health Ministry on the data of the Malaysia Food Safety Information System confirmed that Jif peanut butter stocks from the numbered batches were imported into the country.

"In view of this, the ministry has requested the importer to withdraw it from the market while the Ministry's Safety and Quality division will monitor the main entries to the country to ensure it does not come in," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham also said sellers must immediately stop the sale of the product with the said batch numbers while consumers who have bought the product have been urged not to consume it.

Salmonella is a bacteria which can cause food poisoning if it is present in meat, chicken, eggs, fruits, vegetables and processed food, if cleanliness is not adhered to or the right food processes are not complied with.

"Consumers who need any information or are concerned about the issue can contact the nearest district Health Office or visit http://moh.spab.gov.my or the Food Safety and Quality division's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BKKMHQ," he added.