A growing number of products made with Jif peanut butter are being pulled from stores and vending machines nationwide.
Federal health leaders continue to investigate the salmonella outbreak linked to the peanut butter and added candy trail mix and other snacks that are made with the recalled peanut butter to the recall list.
Over the last five years, an average of 325 different types of food and beverages are recalled annually, according to tracking by U.S PIRG Education Fund. Many consumers, however, never learn of said recalls as the system doesn't have many requirements.
The FDA must post the recall on its website and the company has to send a news release. Stores are only required to take recalled products off shelves.
“They don't have to call you. They don't have to put a notice in the store,” said Teresa Murray, a consumer watchdog for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. “And so no wonder consumers are not finding out, no wonder they're confused and no wonder that people are getting sick sometimes weeks after a recall has been announced.
Her group released a report looking into the recall notification process at 50 grocery and convenience stores. Half of the stores said they notify affected customers by phone, text or email within a day. One-third of stores have customers either check the store's website or social media for recall notices.
The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2022 would require stores to prominently display a recall notice within 24 hours after it's provided by the FDA for 14 days.
The U.S. PIRG Education Fund found the FDA still hasn't issued final guidelines on this.
“What you see is some stores will post them in the section where the recalled food is like the produce section or the canned goods or at the checkout counter,” Murray said. “And so again, it's that hodgepodge.”
U.S. PIRG is calling on all stores to have phone, text or email notifications on recalls.
