Enoki mushrooms of Korean origin sold nationwide have been recalled due to the risk of listeria contamination, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday an outbreak of listeria — a bacteria that acts as a parasite — linked to the mushrooms, with one person infected in Michigan and one in Nevada.
“The two sick people are 30 and 42 years old, and they are both males. Both have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported. Both sick people reported eating enoki mushrooms or eating at restaurants with menu items containing enoki mushrooms,” the CDC noted.
The two men’s samples were taken in early October. It usually takes three to four weeks to identify a person as part of an outbreak.
The CDC wrote that, while the sample of listeria taken for the new outbreak is genetically similar to a previous outbreak sample, “the firm associated with this sample has not been identified as a potential source of enoki mushrooms in this outbreak.”
The lack of a definitive connection did not stop Green Day Produce Inc. of California from launching its recall of 7.05-ounce packages of enoki mushrooms.
Michigan officials had found the presence of listeria in Green Day Produce enoki mushrooms. Even though no illnesses have been definitively linked to Green Day Produce mushrooms, the product’s distribution has been suspended, the FDA said.
The recalled products were sold from September to October 2022. The long-stemmed, thin white mushrooms come in a clear package. The main identifier of the packages being recalled is the universal product code.
“The UPC is 16430-69080 [and] is located on the back side of the package,” the FDA explained.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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