The FDA has closed another mystery Salmonella outbreak with no resolution. The Salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 274 people has ended, and the investigation has been closed; no food source was identified. This is the 14th outbreak in the last year that has been unsolved by the FDA. It's unusual that with so many people sick, a food source could not be found. The pathogen responsible for those illnesses was Salmonella Typhimurium. The FDA did initiate traceback, and conducted sample collection and analysis, but couldn't solve this mystery Salmonella outbreak. That means there are only two active outbreaks going on in the United States right now that are linked to FDA-regulated foods. Both outbreaks are active, and the investigations are ongoing. Those outbreaks are the … [Read more...]
FDA Adds NE Salmonella Alfalfa Sprout Outbreak to CORE Table
The FDA has added the Nebraska Salmonella alfalfa sprout outbreak to its CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. At least 15 people are sick, an increase of three more patients since the Nebraska advisory was released on December 23, 2022. The pathogen is Salmonella Typhimurium. The FDA states, "A multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium (reference #1137) has been added to the table. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture issued an advisory regarding illnesses in their state. Preliminary information gathered by state partners indicates that patients consumed alfalfa sprouts prior to becoming ill. FDA’s investigation is underway to confirm the product causing illnesses and additional information will be provided when it becomes … [Read more...]
Top 10 Food Poisoning Outbreaks for 2022: Number Ten Enoki
It's time for the top 10 food poisoning outbreaks of 2022. There were not many multistate outbreaks this year; just a few more than the pandemic year of 2020 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But there were still hundreds of Americans sickened by contaminated food. And the case counts for these outbreaks are likely far lower than the actual number sickened because any people aren't diagnosed and not included. Most of these outbreaks have ended, but a couple are still ongoing. Number ten is the newest outbreak, the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that is linked to enoki mushrooms imported from Korea. (By the way, enoki mushrooms were the most recalled food of 2022.) This outbreak investigation has not been updated for more than a month. The last … [Read more...]
FDA Warns About Possible Listeria in Sun Hong Enoki Mushrooms
The FDA is warning restaurants and retailers about possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination in Sun Hong enoki mushrooms that were sourced from China. Sun Hong Foods is located in Montebello, California. Consumers should not eat these mushrooms, and restaurants and retailers should not sell them. On November 28, 2022, Missouri state partners, as part of the FDAs Laboratory Flexible Funding Model Cooperative Agreement Program, collected enoki mushrooms from retail markets in that state. One sample labeled as Sun Hong Foods tested positive for the pathogen. The FDA is waiting for more information on any other distribution of these mushrooms. This particular strain does not appear to match any clinical isolates from active outbreaks. In other words, no illnesses have been linked … [Read more...]
Utopia Foods Enoki Mushrooms Recalled For Possible Listeria
Utopia Foods Enoki Mushrooms are being recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The mushrooms were imported from China and sold nationwide in the United States. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of these mushrooms. The recalling firm is Utopia Foods of Glendale, New York. The recalled product is Utopia Foods Enoki Mushrooms that are packaged in 200 gram clear and blue plastic packages with the brand name "Utopia" on the front. The UPC number that is stamped on the label is 8928918610017. All Utopia branded Enoki mushrooms imported from China within expiry are included in this recall. The potential contamination was found in routine sampling conducted by the State of Missouri. The distribution of these mushrooms has been … [Read more...]
What Are the Current Food Poisoning Outbreaks?
What are the current food poisoning outbreaks in the United States? At this time there are four active outbreaks that are being investigated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments. In total, these outbreaks have sickened at least 93 people and have hospitalized 33. The newest outbreak is the sapovirus outbreak linked to oysters that were harvested from a section of Galveston Bay in Texas. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, dozens of people who live in Texas and Florida are sickened in this outbreak. The Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Enoki mushrooms that were imported from Korea is ongoing. That outbreak has sickened two people from Nevada and Michigan; both were hospitalized. That … [Read more...]
What FDA Isn’t Saying About an Enoki Mushroom Listeria Recall
When a recent Listeria recall set off some alarm bells at Food Poisoning Bulletin a couple of weeks ago, we asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) how banned enoki mushrooms made their way to store shelves. The answer, it seems, is that the agency is still trying to work that out. A Problematic Recall The FDA doesn't like to use the term "banned," they told us. But a ban is the net effect when the FDA issues a countrywide import alert for a food product. This action means that the agency has gathered enough evidence to show that the product is in violation of FDA laws and regulations and can be detained at the border without physical inspection. In the case of enoki mushrooms from Korea, the evidence includes a 2020 Listeria outbreak in the U.S. that killed four people … [Read more...]
Enoki Mushrooms are the Most Recalled Food of 2022
With one month to go before the end of the year, there have already been 11 Listeria recalls for enoki mushrooms, making them the food most recalled for bacterial contamination in 2022. It wasn't a close contest. Any commodity vying for the distant second-place finish -cheese, leafy greens, ground beef, has had fewer than half as many recalls so far this year. And there's a decent chance that, before the year's end, there will be a 12th enoki mushroom recall. That's because no recall has been issued in connection with an ongoing enoki mushroom Listeria outbreak. Two years ago, a Listeria outbreak linked to enoki mushrooms from Korea sickened 36 people killing four of them. That outbreak was connected to three recalls and the origin of each one we've seen since. After the deadly … [Read more...]
FDA’s CORE Outbreak Investigation Table Updated
The FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table has been updated to include more information about three of the current investigations. This table does not provide a lot of information about outbreaks. It just informs consumers that outbreaks have occurred. For the new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to imported enoki mushrooms, the CDC investigation notice has been added. The outbreak has sickened at least two people in two states; both have been hospitalized. Traceback has been initiated, and sample collection and analysis has also been initiated. For the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in an unidentified food, the case count has increased from 264 cases to 269 cases. Traceback was initiated and sample collection and analysis has begun. It's unusual that an outbreak this … [Read more...]
Expert Advice: Don’t Eat Enoki Mushrooms At This Time
Consumer Reports is offering expert advice on enoki mushrooms: Just don't eat them at this time. That type of mushroom is linked to a new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has sickened at least two people in two states. Two years ago, a deadly Listeria outbreak was also linked to enoki mushrooms that were likely imported from Korea. At least 36 people in 17 states were sickened. Thirty-one people were hospitalized, four people died, and there were two fetal losses. That outbreak prompted the FDA, in July 2022, to issue a country-wide import alert for enoki mushrooms imported from the Republic of Korea. That allows officials to "detain without physical examination." FDA testing found that 43% of enoki mushrooms sampled from that country were contaminated with Listeria … [Read more...]
