Letter From The Jem Butter Founders

Our commitment to transparency and responsibility as a food provider

“ALTHOUGH JEM RAW PRODUCTS HAVE NOT TESTED POSITIVE FOR SALMONELLA, WE FEEL STRONGLY THAT ISSUING A VOLUNTARY RECALL IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO…”

Dear Valued Customers,

After careful deliberation, on December 2, 2015, JEM Raw Organics (JEM Raw) Founders, Nik Rueth, Tim Moore, and Jen Moore has initiated a voluntary recall of all products an

d sizes, packaged in glass jars, and sold under the name JEM Raw Organics, distributed from June 2015 and November 2015.

Health authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), and Center for Disease Control (CDC) have linked a cluster of Salmonella illnesses to person(s) who have consumed nut spreads, including JEM Raw products. There have been eleven 11 people who have reported Salmonella illness to the public health authorities.

In light of this investigation, and with an abundance of caution, we have initiated a voluntary recall of all products and sizes, packaged in glass jars.

CALL TO ACTION

We are working with distributors and retailers to remove these products from retail shelves. Consumers do not need to return the product to the store where it was purchased. Instead, consumers should discard any product and its container. Our customer service team will work directly with each consumer to manage replacement of its product. 

A WORD FROM OUR CEO

It is tragic when anyone gets sick from foods they consume. Unfortunately, it’s all too common. Studying nutrition and food science for over 20 years, I have witnessed the unfortunate short-term and long-term consequences of food consumption that are FDA approved. This is why we started our health food company: we wanted to create a delicious food that is good for people, and the planet.

We are taking these steps because consumer safety is our top priority. As a health food company, our customer’s health is our number one priority. Although JEM Raw products have not tested positive for Salmonella, we feel strongly that issuing a voluntary recall is the right thing to do. We are working closely with the FDA, ODA, and OHA to determine the root cause of the outbreak.

Working in the healthcare industry, and with my knowledge of food safety, I was very proactive in getting the FDA involved since our inception in 2009. The FDA has conducted several of their own tests throughout the years, including a three day 180 swab inspection to ensure that our facilities and products were safe. From these tests, JEM Raw has come up clean every time.

Because of our commitment to health and safety we also have a third-party lab in Portland, Oregon conduct testing on our products. We test not only for salmonella, but also for E.coli, listeria, molds, yeast, heavy metals, pesticides, and even gluten. We require a Certificate of Analysis on all ingredients and products that come into our factory. Your safety is our top priority.  

With our commitment to transparency and responsibility as a food provider, we will continue our investigation with the OHA, the CDC, and the FDA to find the root cause of this outbreak.

Thank you for your continued trust and patience,

Jennifer Moore

Chief Executive Officer, CEO