Health Canada recalls mushrooms for fourth time over life-threatening bacteria

The same variety of mushroom has just been recalled in Canada for a shocking fourth time in just a few months, yet again due to potential contamination with a life-threatening bacteria.

Four different brands of Enoki mushrooms, popular for their use in all sorts of trendy dishes, have been removed from shelves across the country since last fall, with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency citing possible Listeria monocytogenes in all cases.

This week, the affected product is a 200g pack of the fungi from K-Fresh, which has been sold in Ontario, B.C., Quebec, and "possibly other provinces and territories."

The recall, posted on March 14, advises residents not to distribute, sell, use, serve or eat the food, and to instead dispose of any K-fresh enokis, or return them to where they were purchased.

The latest enoki mushrooms to be recalled in Canada are from the brand K-Fresh. Photo from the Government of Canada.

The federal government also warns that consumables with Listeria may not look or smell off, but can still make you very sick — infection can even result in death in some cases.

Symptoms of the food poisoning range from vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and nausea to fever, muscle aches and headache.

More serious cases can lead to neck stiffness, loss of balance, confusion and worse. Symptoms can also appear up to 70 days after initial exposure.

Type of mushrooms constantly being recalled in Ontario over life-threatening bacteria 😳 https://t.co/VWWn4BYXIs #Ontario #Mushroom #Recall #Bacteria #LifeThreatening

— blogTO (@blogTO) November 22, 2023

Thankfully, there haven't been any illnesses reported from the K-fresh mushrooms as of yet, though other products recalled for Listeria in recent months have led to dozens of hospitalizations and even a few deaths.