A Listeria outbreak linked to enoki mushrooms imported from Korea has ended after sickening 36 people, four of whom died. Six of the people sickened were pregnant women, two of whom suffered miscarriages.
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Listeria Recalls for Enoki Mushrooms Imported from Korea
Three U.S. companies issued enoki mushroom recalls in association with this outbreak. All three received the mushrooms from the same Korean supplier, Green Co. LTD.
H&C Foods
On April 7, H&C Food Inc. of Brooklyn issued a recall for enoki mushrooms imported from Korea for possible Listeria contamination. The recall was issued after genetic tests performed on samples of the product performed by the FDA were positive for the same strain of Listeria cultured from case-patients sickened in this outbreak. The recalled product was sold in 7.05 OZ (200G) clear plastic packages with the UPC#831211204181 and “H&C Food Inc.” on the label. They were sold at Great Wall Supermarkets in NY, MD and VA between February 15th, 2020 and March 5th, 2020.
Guan’s Mushroom Co.
On March 23, Guan’s Mushroom Co. of Commerce, CA issued a recall for enoki mushrooms imported from Korea for possible contamination with Listeria. The recalled products were distributed to retail and wholesale stores in CA, NY, PA. They were sold in 200g/7.05-ounce-clear-plastic packages with “Enoki Mushroom” in English, Korean and French on the label. The UPC code: 859267007013 and package code 14-1 appear at the lower right corner.
Sun Hong Foods
On March 9, Sun Hong Foods of Monetbello, CA, issued a recall for enoki mushrooms for potential Listeria risk. The mushrooms were sold in 7.05-ounce clear plastic packages marked with the UPC number 7 426852 625810. They were sold at J&L Supermarket, Jusgo Supermarket, ZTao Market, New Sang Supermarket, and Galleria Market stores in California, Florida, Illinois, Oregon, and Texas.
Symptoms of Listeriosis
Symptoms of a Listeria infection, called listeriosis, can take as long as 70 days to develop. They include high fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle aches, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Pregnant women are at special risk for Listeria. They are more likely than the general population to contract these infections and when they do they can experience premature delivery or suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth, even if they only experience mild, flu-like symptoms.
These cases are tragic. In one of our Listeria lawsuits, Pritzker Hageman’s Listeria lawyers won $3.5 million for a family who lost unborn twins.
Enoki Mushroom Listeria Illnesses
Genetic tests on samples collected from people sickened and on recalled mushrooms indicates that enoki mushrooms supplied by Green Co.are the source of this outbreak.
Illnesses associated with these contaminated mushrooms were reported over a three-year period from November 23, 206 to December 13, 2019. Those sickened range in age from less than 1 year old to 97 years old. Fifty-eight percent of the case-patients were female.
The number of cases reported from each state was: AZ (2), CA (9), FL (2), HI (3), IN (1), KY (1), MA (2), MD (2), MI (1), MO (1), NC (1), NJ (1), NY (4), RI (1), TN (1), VA (3), WA (1). The fatalities were reported from California, Hawaii, and New Jersey.
If you or a family member are part of this outbreak and would like a free consultation with our experienced team, please contact us today by calling 1(888) 377-8900 (toll-free), texting 612-261-0856 or by completing the form below.