Mushroom Recall as Warning Issued Over Potential Listeria Contamination

A mushroom recall has been issued on Friday by HH Fresh Trading Corp amid concerns of possible listeria contamination.
The California-based company announced the recalled Taiwan Enoki mushrooms that were distributed in West Virginia in multiple retail store locations and were sold on August 20 and August 23, with 240 cases for each date.
The mushroom product comes in a 200-gram, clear plastic package marked with barcode #4711498860019 on the back side.
While no illnesses have been reported, officials urge consumers to discard the products or return them for refunds.
The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing was performed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in 200 gram of Enoki in October. Meanwhile, the production of the mushrooms has since been suspended while the FDA and the HH Fresh Trading Corp continue to investigate the source of the problem.
Newsweek has reached out to the FDA via email for comment.
Listeria is a particularly resilient bacterium that can cause severe health complications, particularly for pregnant women, the elderly, newborns and those with weakened immune systems.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the country and is responsible for roughly 1,600 cases of food poisoning annually in the U.S., with around 260 fatalities. Symptoms of listeria infection can surface shortly after exposure or may take up to 10 weeks to appear, making it challenging to trace the source of contamination.
Signs and symptoms vary depending on the person and the site of the infection. In most cases, the bacteria stay within the gut and cause the stereotypical symptoms of food poisoning, such as diarrhea and vomiting. Usually, these symptoms start within 24 hours of eating contaminated food and last for one to three days.
This recall marks the latest listeria-related food safety incident in the U.S. this year. Previous recalls include frozen waffles and other breakfast products sold in many grocery stores, in which TreeHouse Foods Inc. has expanded its initial recall.
In addition, Boar’s Head pulled more than 7 million pounds of deli meat in July and BrucePac recalled nearly 12 million pounds of meat and poultry last month. Both cases also stemmed from routine listeria testing.
Fifty-nine hospitalizations and 10 deaths have resulted from the listeria outbreak that has been linked to the recalled Boar’s Head deli meat, the CDC recently reported.