The Salmonella Stanley wood ear mushroom outbreak has now sickened at least 43 people in 10 states, according to the FDA. Out outbreak is likely linked to wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods of Santa Fe Springs, California. This dried mushroom is also known as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err.
Almost 90% of 18 people interviewed by the government said they ate ramen at a restaurant the week before they starting feeling sick. Four illness clusters were identified at restaurants that serve ramen in three states.
The California Department of Public Health collected samples of those Wismettac Asian Foods mushrooms from one of the restaurants where a patient ate. On October 1, 2020, officials said that whole genome sequencing determined that the Salmonella in the mushroom samples matched samples taken from patients.
Dried mushrooms should always be reconstituted with boiling water, which should kill pathogens. We don’t know why the Salmonella Stanley survived in these restaurant dishes.
All wood ear mushrooms within shelf life were recalled on September 23, 2020. The product was sold to restaurants, not consumers. It is Shirakiku Black Fungus (Kikurage) with UPC number 00074410604305. The mushrooms were imported from China. They were sold in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Florid, 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 Canada.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with food poisoning, you can contact attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Noted food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker, who has filed many lawsuits on behalf of clients sickened at restaurants, said, “We don’t know how the mushrooms were contaminated or how the pathogen survived cooking, but it happened. No one should get sick because they went out to eat.”
The patient case count by state is: Arizona (1), California (27), Connecticut (1), Georgia (1), Illinois (5), Louisiana (1), New Jersey (2), New York (1), Pennsylvania (2), and Wisconsin (2). Illness onset dates range from January 21, 2020 to August 26, 2020. The patient age range is from 2 to 74 years. No deaths have been reported.
Symptoms of a Salmonella food poisoning infection take about 6 to 72 hours to appear after a person eats contaminated food. Symptoms include a fever, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and pain, abdominal cramps and pain, and diarrhea that may be bloody. It’s important to see your doctor and get tested if you are sick with these symptoms. You may be part of this Salmonella Stanley wood ear mushroom outbreak.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Salmonella Stanley infection after eating recalled wood ear mushrooms or ramen at a restaurant, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
