The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections linked to wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA. Wood ear mushrooms are a dried mushroom, also commonly labelled or referred to as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err.
Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. acted quickly upon being notified of the positive test result and recalled all wood ear mushrooms within shelf life on September 23, 2020.
Recommendation
Wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. were only sold to restaurants and were not available directly to consumers. Although these items have been recalled, restaurants that received recalled products should use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled product, to reduce the risk of cross contamination. All recalled product should be thrown out.
Investigation Update
November 4, 2020
As of November 4, 2020, the CDC declared that this outbreak is over.
Case Counts
Total Illnesses: 55
Hospitalizations: 6
Deaths: 0
Last Illness Onset Date: September 19, 2020
States with Cases: AZ (1), CA (33), CT (1), GA (1), IL (5), LA (1), NJ (2), NY (1), OR (1), PA (2), WA (5), WI (2)
Product Distribution*: AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI
*States with confirmed distribution; product could have been distributed further
General Food Safety Tips for Dried Mushrooms
Dried mushrooms, that have not been recalled due to potential contamination, should always be reconstituted using boiling water to kill any pathogens. This advice does not apply to recalled products, which should be thrown out.
Recall Information
On September 23, 2020, Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. recalled Shirakiku brand imported dried fungus. This product was labeled as Shirakiku brand Black Fungus (Kikurage) with UPC Code 00074410604305, imported from China. Product was distributed in six packs of five-pound bags to restaurants in AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI.
