A January 2021 recall in Canada for fresh mushrooms renewed focus on overwrap film in mushroom packaging and requirements set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) here in the U.S. In this case, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a recall for whole white mushrooms due to concerns that the packaging might permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum). The concerns arose because the company used a batch of overwrap film without holes, and while no illnesses or deaths were reported, the incident triggered further questions of what C. botulinum risk is associated with fresh mushrooms if a package is wrapped with film without holes, and whether the risk is real. AMI, through its Food Safety Task Force member and Food Safety Scientist Daniel Wu, Ph.D., has summarized the shortcomings and challenges of the research and assumptions currently relied on/cited regarding C. botulinum and mushrooms.
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