Have You Recently Gotten Sick at a Chinese Restaurant? Recalled Food May Be to Blame

 Posted on October 01, 2020 in Salmonella

In the past week, a common ingredient used in Chinese restaurants across America has been recalled after salmonella was detected in samples of the product. On September 23, the brand Shirakiku was recalled by manufacturer Wismettac Asian Food Inc. The product is imported dried fungus, also known as tree ear fungus, black fungus, or cloud-ear fungus due to its appearance. This fungus is an edible mushroom that is commonly used in Chinese cooking in the U.S. Black fungus originated in China, but can also be found in tropical regions such as Hawaii, Nigeria, the Pacific Islands, and more. The reason these mushrooms are so dangerous? Their tendency to absorb contaminants from their environment.

Based in Santa Fe Springs, CA, Wismettac Asian Food Inc. has been asked to recall their product Shirakiku by the California Department of Public Health. The department detected traces of salmonella, the leading cause of food poisoning, in product samples. Though the company is based in California, this product is distributed throughout the U.S., Illinois included. As of September 24, over 40 people had been infected from a spread of ten states. In other words, if you have recently eaten at a Chinese restaurant and gotten sick afterwards, this fungal product may be to blame.

Signs of Salmonella

Depending on their severity, you may not have thought twice about your symptoms. Or in the current health climate, you may have been comparing your symptoms to those of COVID-19. Below are a list of CDC-recognized salmonella symptoms:

1. The development of diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps between six hours and six days of exposure to the bacteria.
2. The illness typically lasts four to seven days and does not require treatment to recover.
3. However, in some cases, the infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream, leading to hospitalization.
4. Those under the age of 5 and adults 65 and older have weakened immune systems and are more likely to experience severe illness.

Contact an Illinois Food Poisoning Attorney

When you go out to eat at a restaurant or grab takeout to bring home, you expect the food to be properly prepared and free of any dangerous foods. Even if it is unintentional, contracting food poisoning from restaurant-prepared food is never on anyone’s order. The legal team at Newland & Newland LLP believe that restaurants and manufacturers should be held responsible for passing around a preventable illness. If you have recently gotten sick from someone else’s cooking, contact our Chicago food poisoning lawyers at 312-981-0409 to schedule your free consultation.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/stanley-09-20/index.html

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/cdc-salmonella-outbreak-from-recalled-mushrooms-infects-people-in-10-states