Two foods that seem innocuous are responsible for a disproportionate number of foodborne illness recalls in North America: tahini and enoki mushrooms. Tahini, a single-ingredient sesame paste praised by nutritionists, has been recalled for Salmonella contamination more times than almost any other widely consumed food. Enoki mushrooms, delicate white fungi popular in East Asian cuisine, have triggered two multistate outbreaks, more than 20 individual recalls, and import alerts spanning entire countries. The reason these foods keep appearing in recall notices is not bad manufacturing luck across multiple unrelated companies; it is chemistry and supply chain vulnerability.

Why Does Tahini Keep Getting Contaminated With Salmonella?

Tahini's vulnerability to Salmonella begins with its unique physical properties. The paste has a water activity level between 0.35 and 0.50, placing it firmly in the category food scientists call "low moisture ready-to-eat" (LMRTE) foods. At water activity below 0.93, Salmonella cannot multiply. But here is the critical problem: the bacteria cannot grow, but they survive. Research published in the Journal of Food Protection has shown that Salmonella can persist in low-water-activity environments for months and, under certain conditions, for more than a year. In fatty environments like sesame paste, survival times can be even longer because the lipid matrix provides a protective buffer against environmental stressors.

The roasting step during tahini production is supposed to serve as a "kill step," reducing pathogen loads to safe levels. In theory, adequate time and temperature should eliminate Salmonella. In practice, this step does not always work as intended. Seeds can arrive at the facility already contaminated in clusters or pockets, creating uneven heating during roasting. If seeds are contaminated after roasting, during hulling, milling, or packaging, the kill step is irrelevant to that contamination. The fat-rich environment of sesame seeds can shield bacterial cells from heat, raising the effective temperature required for elimination. Additionally, cooling the seeds after roasting and passing them through more equipment creates opportunities for post-roast recontamination.

Most tahini consumed in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia is manufactured in the Middle East, primarily Israel, Turkey, and Lebanon, with sesame seeds sourced from Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, and other parts of East Africa and South Asia. Sesame is grown in the soil, and Salmonella is an environmental organism. Seeds can pick up contamination in the field, during harvest, in storage, or during transit across long international supply chains. Import sampling programs catch some contaminated product, but with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sesame products moving through global trade each year, testing is far from comprehensive.

The track record of tahini recalls is striking. In May 2026, the FDA flagged a Salmonella recall for Malazi-brand tahini sold in the United States. In February 2026, Canadian food safety authorities recalled Mahrousa-brand tahini after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency detected Salmonella during routine testing. In March 2024, Roland Foods recalled its Roland Tahini after Michigan Department of Agriculture testing confirmed Salmonella presence. In 2021, two separate recalls were issued within weeks of each other, covering Al Kanater Tahini and Kareem Mart Tahina Ground Sesame Paste. The most significant incident before these was a CDC-investigated multistate outbreak in 2018 linked to tahini produced by Achdut Ltd. in Israel, with multiple brands involved, including Achva and Baron's.

What Makes Enoki Mushrooms Prone to Listeria Contamination?

Enoki mushrooms present a perfect storm of food safety challenges. First, they are grown in warm, humid conditions that also happen to be ideal for Listeria monocytogenes growth. The growing medium and the tightly clustered growth pattern of the mushrooms create environments where bacteria can thrive. Second, they are often consumed raw or only lightly cooked. Traditional East Asian preparations frequently add enoki mushrooms to soups and hot pots at the end of cooking, where they may not reach temperatures high enough to kill Listeria. In salads and cold dishes, they are consumed entirely raw. Third, the import supply chain is long and complex. Enoki mushrooms are harvested, packed, and shipped from facilities in East Asia, arriving at U.S. ports days or weeks later. Listeria is psychrotrophic, meaning it can grow at refrigeration temperatures. The cold chain that preserves freshness also preserves the pathogen.

The problem became undeniable in 2020. The CDC and FDA, investigating a cluster of Listeria monocytogenes infections that had been quietly building since 2016, traced the outbreak to enoki mushrooms imported from the Republic of Korea. The numbers were devastating: 36 confirmed illnesses across 17 states, 31 hospitalizations, and four deaths. Six pregnant women became ill, and two experienced fetal loss. The source was traced to Green Co. LTD, a manufacturer in the Republic of Korea. The company was placed under FDA import alerts, and its products were detained at the border without physical examination. But the problem was bigger than one company. In fiscal year 2021, FDA testing revealed that 43% of enoki mushroom samples from Korea were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

A second outbreak occurred in 2022, this time linked to enoki mushrooms imported from China. The U.S. and Canada investigated jointly through the Signal and Response for International Outbreak Investigations framework. The outbreak caused six confirmed illnesses. The FDA responded by expanding its country-wide import alert. In January 2023, enoki mushrooms from China joined those from the Republic of Korea on the detention-without-physical-examination list. Between October 2020 and February 2023, state public health authorities conducted sampling of enoki mushrooms from retail locations across the U.S. Those tests led to 18 recalls. Eight were linked to mushrooms from Korea, 10 from China. The FDA sampled and analyzed 127 shipments of enoki mushrooms imported from China. Eighteen were violative, a violation rate of over 14%. Fifteen different firms were identified with violative product.

As recently as May 14, 2026, two new recalls hit the FDA list. HH Fresh Trading recalled its 150-gram packages of enoki mushrooms. IQ Produce LLC recalled its 150-gram packages of the same product. Both recalls cited the same reason: product found positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Both products were imported.

Who Is Most Vulnerable to These Pathogens?

Salmonella infections cause around a million illnesses in the United States each year, according to the CDC. Most healthy adults recover within four to seven days with rest and fluids. However, certain groups face more serious complications. Listeria monocytogenes is not an equal-opportunity pathogen either. For most healthy adults, ingestion of the bacteria causes mild or no symptoms. But for certain groups, listeriosis is a serious and potentially fatal illness. Understanding who is at risk is essential for making informed food choices.

• Young children under five: Their immune systems are not fully developed, and the infective dose required to cause illness is lower than in older children and adults.
• Pregnant women: Salmonella infection can cause complications including preterm labor. Listeria monocytogenes is roughly 10 times more likely to affect pregnant women than the general population, and infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
• Adults over 65: Immune function declines with age, and complications including bloodstream infection are more common. In the 2020 enoki mushroom outbreak, the median age of patients was 67.
• People with weakened immune systems: Those undergoing chemotherapy, living with HIV, taking immunosuppressive medications, or managing conditions like cancer, diabetes, or kidney disease are at sharply elevated risk of invasive disease.

In the 2020 enoki mushroom outbreak, six of the 36 cases were pregnancy-associated, and two ended in fetal loss. Symptoms of listeriosis typically develop within two weeks of consuming contaminated food but can appear as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks afterward. They include fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. If the infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.

How to Reduce Your Risk From These Contaminated Foods

• Check for recalls before purchasing: Visit the FDA's official recall list regularly, and sign up for email alerts from the FDA or your state health department. When you buy tahini or enoki mushrooms, note the brand, country of origin, and purchase date so you can quickly identify whether a product is under recall.
• Know which populations should avoid these foods entirely: The CDC and FDA now explicitly advise people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have weakened immune systems to avoid eating enoki mushrooms raw entirely. For tahini, pregnant women, young children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals should be especially cautious and consider avoiding products from high-risk batches or manufacturers with recall histories.
• Understand that tahini appears in many products beyond hummus: Baba ganoush, halva, sesame-coated breads, certain salad dressings, Asian-inspired sauces, and many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant dishes all use tahini. A recall of a bulk tahini product used as a food service ingredient can affect dozens of downstream products without any of those products having a specific recall notice.
• Cook enoki mushrooms thoroughly if you choose to consume them: While the CDC recommends vulnerable populations avoid them entirely, if you are a healthy adult, ensure enoki mushrooms reach a temperature high enough to kill Listeria. Do not add them to soups or hot pots at the very end of cooking; instead, add them earlier so they reach a safe internal temperature.
• Source tahini from manufacturers with clean track records: When possible, choose tahini from producers with no recent recall history. Look at the country of origin on the label; while contamination can occur anywhere, understanding the supply chain helps you make informed choices.

One pattern stands out across all tahini incidents: contamination was only discovered through testing. In most cases, no illnesses had been reported at the time of recall. The tahini did not look different. It did not smell unusual. It tasted exactly as it should. This underscores why relying on sensory cues alone is insufficient and why staying informed about recalls is critical.

The repeated detection of Salmonella in finished tahini products and Listeria in enoki mushrooms sold in North America and Europe reflects both the frequency of contamination in the supply chain and the limits of surveillance. Testing is far from comprehensive, and traceability through complex international supply chains is slow and complicated. For consumers, this means vigilance is necessary. Checking recall lists, understanding your own risk profile, and knowing which foods pose the greatest danger to vulnerable household members are practical steps that can meaningfully reduce your family's exposure to these persistent pathogens.