Chemicals in Dried Mushrooms Prompts Recall

May 29, 2012 - PRLog -- Dried shitake mushrooms slices are being recalled from Costco Wholesale stores in Washington, Oregon, and California due to chemical contamination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested a sample of the product and discovered that it was tainted with fluoranthene, pyrene and carbendazim.

These chemicals are not approved for use in the United States. Carbendazim, a fungicide, has led to high profile recalls before, when it was discovered in many orange juice products. The use of carbendazim is legal in other countries, and therefore the FDA increased its scrutiny of imports that may contain it.

The recalled Shitake-Ya brand mushrooms are packaged in 6 oz. plastic jars labeled "Shiitake-Ya brand Gourmet Shiitake Slices - dried shiitake mushrooms" and have a sell-by date of April 16, 2013, reports Food Safety News.

“EMSL Analytical’s food testing services division offers a wide array of services, including analysis of chemicals such as fluoranthene, pyrene and carbendazim,” states Shannon Kauffman, EMSL’s Food Chemistry Lab Manager. “For companies that have had their products detained by the FDA, we offer FDA Import Detention Services to coordinate sample collection and analysis with the agency.”

For more information about EMSL’s food testing division, please contact EMSL at 800-220-3675, emailinfo@EMSL.com, or visit www.EMSL.com or www.FoodTestingLab.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.

EMSL Analytical, Inc. is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies. Please see our website for a complete listing of accreditations.