Call to stop consuming yellow boletus suspected to have mixed with inedible/poisonous species of mushrooms

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (February 3) called on the public to stop consuming a batch of prepackaged yellow boletus as the product was suspected to contain mixture of edible species as well as inedible/poisonous species of mushrooms.

Product details are as follows:

Product name: CanBest - Wild Yellow boletus
Importer and packer: Joinluck Corporation Limited
Net weight: 60 grams per pack
Best-before date: December 30, 2016

A CFS spokesman said, "Following up on a suspected food poisoning case in relation to the consumption of yellow boletus as notified by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, the CFS has conducted investigation at a department store in Tai Po. The department store concerned has stopped selling and removed from shelves the affected batch of the product according to the CFS' instruction."

The spokesman further said, "The CFS has also followed up with the importer and packer of the product concerned and request it to stop sale and recall the affected batch of the product. Based on the distribution information provided by the importer and packer, the CFS has contacted other vendors which have purchased the affected product and confirmed that they have already stopped sale and removed from shelves the incriminated product."

The CFS appealed to members of the public who had purchased and still possessed the affected batch of the product to stop consuming it, and to seek medical advice immediately if symptoms develop after consuming the food. Members of the public may call the importer and packer's hotline at 2984 8148 during office hours for enquiries about the recall.

The CFS will alert the local trade to the incident, and continue to follow up and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.

Mushroom poisoning is generally acute and manifested by a variety of symptoms, depending on the species and amount consumed. The incubation period is usually short. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain are the commonest symptoms. Sometimes distinguishing features such as extreme thirst, profuse sweating, hallucination, coma and other neurological symptoms may occur.

Furthermore, consumers are advised to heed the following points when buying and eating fresh mushrooms:

* Do not buy mushroom products which are doubted to have carried mixing of unknown species;
* Do not buy mushrooms which look unhygienic (with growing substrates left with the product) or show signs of spoilage (with coloured spots/abnormal smell/slime, etc);
* Wash and cook mushrooms thoroughly before consumption; and
* Seek medical treatment immediately if mushroom poisoning is suspected.

Ends/Wednesday, February 3, 2016