I think that that would be a reasonable assumption.
It seems like some people hear “salmonella” and lose all reasoning ability. I, on the other hand, see no reason to assume that the 2nd half of the jar has a magical ability to make you sick that the 1st half didn’t have.
I got a robocall from my grocery store since I use their loyalty card and they knew I had bought some Jif. Kinda cool.
I got the call on the way to the doggy ER (doggy is fine) and while I was sitting there someone called the ER to ask if their dog might have salmonella since the dog was sick and it eats a lot of peanut butter. The staff was very patient.
With your elite reasoning ability, I would have imagined that you could distinguish between saying that there may be a risk of something, and assuming that it is true. If you personally feel that you have sufficient knowledge of bacterial growth dynamics that half the cost of a jar is adequate compensation to take the risk, go for it. Maybe bid $1 on Craigslist to buy some more half-eaten jars, you could make a killing.
It’s not just the cost of half a jar, it’s also the nuisance of replacing it, and of not having peanut butter until you get around to doing so.
Peanut butter is one of our staples. We buy more before we run out so as never to be without. We don’t eat jif, so this doesn’t affect our household, but if I’d already eaten half the jar without any problems, I’d eat the rest.
If we had anyone in the household at extreme risk from salmonella I’d toss it. But we don’t.
I just licked the bowl i mixed chocolate cake batter in, too. I imagine that has a similar risk.
I guess it would be ironic* if you rushed out to buy a replacement jar and caught COVID at the supermarket…
(*it peripherally involves spoons/knives, so I’m pretty sure this is irony)
The middle ground might be to eat the peanut butter until the next time you shop, and then replace it. As you say, peanut better is cheap, and you might be able to get a replacement from the store, even.
Yeah, I haven’t been to the store since this went down and peanut butter is something I don’t eat daily…but probably reliably eat weekly at the least. A quick breakfast for me is sometimes a couple slices of toast with peanut butter for example. I’m weirdly brand loyal on peanut butter, and if there’s a chance these JIF brands won’t be available for a while that would be another reason for me to keep the half eaten jar, since I wouldn’t want to deal with the headache of hunting down in stock, unaffected jars.
I have all manner of Jif in my pantry, probably $20 worth.
I believe I am due a refund, especially of unopened containers.
My wife, Karen Mustard, agrees and will march the goods back to the retailer at first convenience.
I will report back.
mmm
Times like this make me glad I ditched commercial peanut butter for freshly-ground (in the natural/bulk foods section of several stores hereabouts). Took a bit of getting used to since it doesn’t have the oil or sugar used in most commercial versions, but now I prefer it. Cheaper, too.
I’ve never been able to make the transition, and have tried it a few times, I end up basically liking the factory produced stuff a good bit better for texture / flavor reasons.
I hope all y’all Jif feeders stay safe.
We Skippy feeders, the more enlightened here, so far are safe from salmonella. 
Only eat Smuckers Natural. I stopped eating Jif years ago because I found an ant in a jar. Aversion therapy works.
I think they call that Jif Crunchy 
Have you tried “Smart Balance”? It’s mass produced, with oil but no sugar. Primarily because I think it just tastes better & has better texture than Jif etc., any health benefit is just a bonus.
It’s interesting that there are no private label brands on the list. Can there really be no private label business where Jif makes PB for some grocery store chain or whatever?
But Smuckers owns Jif. All Jif products are made at one plant, in Lexington, KY. Where does Smuckers brand PB come from?
The Smucker company, Orville Ohio.
The following is humor - think The Onion but not as snarky.
“Nationwide recall of peanut butter empties shelves!!!” “Shameful Sleepy Joe response”. First FORMULAGATE - now PEANUTGATE. Trail leads back to Carter’s peanut farm. When will it end?
/s It’s late, going to the kitchen to check the jars. OH THE HUMANITY!
I actually got a phone call on the recall since I bought mine at a store that uses loyalty cards.
That’s impressive. I wouldn’t say my faith in humanity is fully restored… but that’s really good.
That’s simply Big Brother watching you.