Mushrooms likely linked to salmonella outbreak

Two federal health agencies were investigating a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections likely linked to wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, California.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration issued notices last week advising consumers to be cautious when ordering meals with mushrooms after the dried mushrooms were shipped to restaurants in 31 states and Washington, D.C.

“Consumers can ask restaurants where mushrooms are from before ordering to avoid eating recalled mushrooms,” the FDA said in a notice.

Forty-one cases of salmonella infection were reported in 10 states. Four people were hospitalized, the CDC said.

“Restaurants should not sell or serve recalled wood ear mushrooms distributed by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc., labeled as Shirakiku brand Black Fungus (Kikurage),” the FDA said. “Restaurants should immediately discard any of the recalled product.”

Wismettac Asian Foods is voluntarily recalling the 5-pound bags of dried fungus that were imported from China because of “the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” the company said on its website.

According to the recall and health alerts, the product was distributed to restaurants in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., as well as British Columbia in Canada.

The recall notice said consumers with questions can contact the company at recall@wismettacusa.com.