Jif (peanut butter)

History

In 1946, Jif was created by William T. Young in Lexington, Kentucky, named "Big Top" at the time. In 1955, Procter & Gamble bought Big Top peanut butter and its manufacturing facilities in Lexington from William T. Young. In the ensuing years, the company reformulated and rebranded it to compete with Skippy and Peter Pan. P&G named its product Jif, used oils other than peanut oil in its hydrogenation process, and sweetened the recipe, adding sugar and molasses. The new product was publicly announced in April 1956, as tests of the product began in select markets. In 1981, Jif became the largest peanut butter brand in the United States, a position it held at least through 2008. In 2001, the J.M. Smucker Company purchased the brand from P&G.

2022 recall

On May 20, 2022, the J.M. Smucker Company announced that their peanut butter products, which were manufactured in their Lexington, Kentucky plant, were recalled in the US and Canada due to potential salmonella contamination. The company estimated a loss of $125 million as a result of the 2022 recall. On July 19, 2022, a class-action lawsuit was filed against J.M. Smucker Co. over the contaminated peanut butter.

As of July 27, 2022, 21 people in 17 states had fallen ill after consuming Jif peanut butter. The contaminated peanut butter also affects countries in the world that import the product.

Advertising

In 1958, the brand rollout in the U.S. involved a heavily publicized house-to-house distribution of free sample jars from special trucks emblazoned with the then Jif mascot, the "Jifaroo", a blue kangaroo. An early slogan was "Jif is never dry; a touch of honey tells you why." Early advertising also emphasized the beveled edge of the jar base, meant to make it easier to get the last bit of Jif out of the corner. For many decades, TV commercials for the product ended with the tagline, "Choosy mothers choose Jif", and, in the 1990s, "Choosy moms choose Jif." From 1998 to 2000, there was a musical jingle that accompanied many Jif ads, which used the lyrics, "Moms like you choose Jif, choose Jif!"

Manufacturing

The original Creamy and Crunchy style Jif peanut butters both made their nationwide debut in 1958. In 1974, Extra Crunchy Jif was introduced, followed in 1991 by Simply Jif, a peanut butter variant with low sodium and less sugar than regular Jif. Reduced Fat Jif was introduced three years later in 1994.

There are 9 different kinds of Jif Peanut Butter:

• Creamy
• Extra Crunchy
• No Sugar Added Creamy
• Simply Jif Creamy (low sodium and sugar)
• Omega-3 Creamy
• Reduced Fat Creamy
• Natural Creamy
• Natural Honey Creamy
• Natural Crunchy

Jif is also available in a three-pack and an eight-pack of 1.5-ounce individual servings of Jif peanut butter, sold under the name "Jif to Go". In 2014, Jif introduced a peanut butter-flavored breakfast cereal (manufactured under license by Kellogg's). On May 7, 2012, Jif announced a new line of hazelnut spreads, to be produced in Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino flavors. In addition, Jif also makes almond butter and cashew butter.

All variants of Jif are produced at a facility in Lexington, Kentucky, which is the largest peanut butter production facility in the world, and a smaller facility in Memphis TN whose products were not affected by the 2022 recall.

References

References

1. (2022-05-30). "受沙門氏菌污染 涉及批號Jif花生醬須下架". 光明日报.
2. (2004-01-14). "William T. Young, 85, Owner And Breeder of Racehorses". The New York Times.
3. Dudley, Jack. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103051548/ "P&G Acquires W. T. Young Foods, Inc.; Ratio of Stock Transfer is Undisclosed"], [[Cincinnati Enquirer]], August 23, 1955, page 32.
4. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103050775/ "New Peanut Butter to Be Introduced"], [[Wichita Eagle]], April 12, 1956, page 2D.
5. "About Jif: The History". [[Pillsbury Company]].
6. "J.M. Smucker Announces Stock Deal with P&G for Jif and Crisco".
7. Nutrition, Center for Food Safety and Applied. (2022-05-21). "The J. M. Smucker Co. Issues Voluntary Recall of Select Jif® Products Sold in the U.S. for Potential Salmonella Contamination".
8. Government of Canada, Health Canada. (2022-05-22). "Certain Jif brand Peanut Butters recalled due to Salmonella - Recalls, advisories and safety alerts – Canada.ca".
9. (2022-06-07). "J.M. Smucker to take $125 million hit from Jif peanut butter recall".
10. (July 19, 2022). "Recall Litigation Report: J.M. Smucker Co. Faces Class Action Suits Following Jif Peanut Butter Recall".
11. Beach, Coral. (July 27, 2022). "CDC says 17-state Jif peanut butter Salmonella outbreak is over".
12. (2022-05-23). "美國Jif三款花生醬疑受沙門氏菌污染　食安中心籲停止出售及食用". 香港01.
13. (1958-09-07). "Procter & Gamble Samples City With Jif". Montgomery Advertiser.
14. "Creamy & crunchy: an informal history of peanut butter, the all-American food". Columbia University Press.
15. "BEHIND THE SCREENS Hollywood Goes Hyper-commercial".
16. "Jif Product Page". Jif.
17. "Kellogg's Launches New Cereals, Expands Snack & Frozen Food Lineup". FAB News.
18. (May 7, 2012). "Peanut Butter Brand Jif to Launch Line of Hazelnut Spreads". Foodbeast.com.
19. (2013-10-22). "Jif Whipped Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Cashew Butter". Food Processing.
20. (2024-01-24). "National Peanut Butter Day: 10 facts about Kentucky's own Jif". FOX 56 News.
21. (2020-07-10). "15 Facts That Make Lexington Unique". www.visitlex.com.
22. "Fun Tidbits". [[The J.M. Smucker Company]].