Health ministry orders recall of Jif peanut butter products over salmonella fears

The importer of Jif peanut butter has been asked to recall the products from the market, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

He said a check conducted by the health ministry (MOH) on the food safety information system of Malaysia data found that the product had been imported into the country.

Noor Hisham said the ministry took note of the product recall from the US market for potential salmonella contamination through a notification from the International Food Safety Authorities Network.

“The notification stated that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) had ordered Jif peanut butter products with batch numbers 1274425 to 2140425, namely with 425 at the last three digits, to be recalled because they were contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

“The peanut butter products had been distributed to several countries such as Canada, Thailand, Honduras, Spain, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia,” he said in a statement today.

Noor Hisham said the health ministry, through the food safety and quality division (BKKM), would continue to monitor all entry points into the country for the affected batch.

“Sellers must stop selling the affected batch immediately while consumers who have purchased the product should avoid consuming them,” he said.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause food poisoning if found in meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables and processed food.

Consumers who have concerns or information can contact the nearest district health office or visit the website http://moh.spab.gov.my or BKKM’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/bkkmhq.