It’s been one week since Sun Hong enoki mushrooms were identified as a source of a Listeria outbreak but there is still no recall. Back in 2020, Sun Hong was one of three brands of enoki mushrooms linked to the first known Listeria outbreak in the U.S. linked to enoki mushrooms.
That outbreak, linked to enoki mushrooms imported from Korea, sickened 36 people. Four people died and two pregnant women suffered miscarriages. Sung Hong Foods issued a recall in connection with that outbreak. The following year, the company recalled enoki mushrooms grown in China after they tested positive for Listeria.
But on November 28, 2022, nine days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the outbreak, when enoki mushrooms produced in China by Shandong Youhe Biotechnology Co. and distributed in the U.S. by Sun Hong tested positive for Listeria, the company didn’t issue a recall. Instead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a consumer advisory for the mushrooms that were tested by Missouri health officials. The strain of Listeria found in these mushrooms would later be identified as the second Listeria strain associated with this outbreak.
Just over a month later, in early January 2023, enoki mushrooms produced in China by Shandong Youhe Biotechnology Co. and distributed in the U.S. by Sun Hong Foods again tested positive for Listeria. Again there was no recall. Even weeks later when further testing revealed that these mushrooms were contaminated with both outbreak strains of Listeria.
The current outbreak includes three illnesses from three states, California, Nevada, and Michigan. All of the patients were hospitalized.
Symptoms of a Listeria Infection
Symptoms of a Listeria infection usually appear within a day of exposure to contaminated food but sometimes it can take as long as 70 days for them to develop. They include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, other muscle stiffness, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Pregnant women can suffer miscarriage or stillbirth even if they only experience mild flu-like symptoms.
Experienced Listeria Lawyers
If you were sickened by contaminated enoki mushrooms please contact our Listeria lawyers. Our Food Safety Team has more experience handling Listeria lawsuits than any other law firm in the country securing some of the largest Listeria settlements in U.S. history. You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below. There is no cost and no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.