Enoki

What the outbreaks and recalls were

• 2016 to 2020: a multinational investigation counted 48 ill people, 36 in the United States and 12 in Canada, linked to enoki from one manufacturer in the Republic of Korea. Several firms recalled products, and the public in several countries was advised not to eat the recalled enoki. [2]
• 2022 to 2023: FDA described a later US outbreak with five people sickened in four states, all five hospitalized, one pregnancy-associated illness and no reported deaths. [1]
• Overall: FDA states that more than 20 recalls of enoki for possible Listeria contamination have occurred since 2020, and that it added enoki from China to a country-wide import alert. [1]

Recalls change by the month. Check current recall notices from FDA or your national food agency rather than relying on a page like this one.

Why storage matters

Canadian researchers tested fresh enoki stored cold. Listeria counts rose from 30 to 1,000 per gram within 9 days at 4 °C and within 4 days at 10 °C. [3] They noted that imported enoki is often packed without free air exchange and has a longer shelf life, and that growth was faster when leftover growing substrate was present. [3] This is a laboratory challenge test, not a measure of how often shop packages are contaminated. Refrigeration alone is therefore not described as a safe fix for raw enoki in the sources we read. See storing mushrooms and food safety and cooking edible mushrooms safely.

What it is and how it is named

Enoki is also called enokitake, golden needle mushroom, futu, seafood mushroom or lily mushroom. [1] The cultivated white form is usually labeled Flammulina velutipes, and some recent taxonomy uses Flammulina filiformis. GBIF lists both as accepted species names (family Physalacriaceae). [4] [5] We did not read a source saying which species is in a given package, so a label name alone does not settle it. Research on one product or extract does not transfer to another.

Traditional use

Proper evidence not found: we read no source describing traditional medicinal use of enoki, so none is described. It is described here as a food that is especially popular in East Asian cuisine. [1]

What research shows

Proper evidence not found for health benefits of eating enoki as a food. We searched PubMed for Flammulina velutipes and "enoki mushroom" with human-study terms. What we did find:

The extract trial used a different product from the food and cannot be applied to cooked enoki. No source we read supports eating enoki to treat any condition.

Allergy

Two Japanese case reports describe allergy to enoki, one anaphylaxis in a person with no earlier food allergy. [7] In the second, a child had positive skin tests to enoki and to shiitake, simeji and eringi mushrooms. [8] Case reports show it can happen, not how common it is. See mushroom allergy and food intolerance.

Official statements

FDA (United States, page on the November 2022 outbreak): advises thorough cooking for people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or who have weakened immune systems, and says it added enoki from China to a country-wide import alert under which shipments from the Republic of Korea and China may be detained without physical examination. [1]