Jif peanut butter recall affecting 14

The J.M. Smucker Co. is recalling several widely available versions of Jif creamy and crunchy peanut butter, citing potential salmonella contaminations linked to 14 illnesses.

In an announcement posted Friday, the Food and Drug Administration listed 49 products, all but one of which corresponded to different sizes and packaging of Jif peanut butter, citing a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections linked to a factory in Lexington, Ky. The company’s 40-ounce jars of Jif-branded honey also were recalled.

Jars with lot codes between 1274425 and 2140425 have been recalled and should be thrown out, the company said in its announcement. The states reporting Salmonella outbreaks are Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

The company said it is cooperating with FDA investigators and determine the appropriate next steps.

“We apologize for the concern this will create,” the company wrote in an unsigned statement. “Please know our number one priority is to deliver safe, quality products to our consumers. When there is any potential issue we act swiftly, as we have in this instance.”

The outbreak is linked to 14 illnesses and two hospitalizations across 12 states. The FDA’s announcement states that the salmonella strain showing up in this outbreak matches a sample the agency took at the J.M. Smucker factory in 2010.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can grow in food products. It can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections that are most dangerous to children, frail or elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems.