国内英语新闻:U.S. company recalls peanut butter due to salmonella contamination

LOS ANGELES, March 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. food producer Unilever said on Monday it is recalling two varieties of its Skippy peanut butter because some jars may be contaminated with salmonella.

The recall affects jars distributed to retailers in 16 states -- Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, the company said.

But the company said no illnesses have been linked to the contaminated Skippy peanut butter.

The 16.3-ounce jars are marked with UPC codes 048001006812 and 048001006782 and have Best-If-Used-By Dates of MAY1612LR1, MAY1712LR1, MAY1812LR1, MAY1912LR1, MAY2012LR1 and MAY2112LR1.

Unilever advised consumers in a press release to throw away any jars of the recalled peanut butter and to contact the company for a replacement coupon.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product.

About 40,000 cases of salmonella are reported each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.