Are shiitakes from Korea and china safe?

Question

I have a bag of "Naturally Healthy" shiitake slices I got from Costco. They were imported by shiitake-ya out of Hunting Beach.

Does anyone have any special knowledge of the growing standards or conditions in which these were produced? I was thinking out making a supplement powder out of them. Thanks

Answer 1

I believe shiitake mushrooms ONLY grow on a single species of oak log.  They are not grown in manure, unlike other species of 'shrooms, so the growth method is not going to be the origin of any toxins in the fungi to the best of my knowledge.  Where you may run afoul is if any preservatives have been added to the shiitakes, or if the factory where they are stored or processed does not have good health standards.  Without sending the shiitakes to a lab to assayed, there is no way for you to tell if they are safe or not.  You could try buying shiitakes from Mountain Ark in North Carolina, or through another route which advertises that it tests its products for purity, safety and cleanliness.  Why don't you try talking to someone at your local healthfood store or co-op in regard to this issue.  I feel your concerns are extremely legitimate.  We should all have them about ANY product from China or Korea, and probably many other developing countries as well.  I will try to do a bit of research for you, b/c I believe there are shiitake growers in this country.  If you have any connections with anyone in the macrobiotic community anywhere in this country, they could probably turn you on to several sources.  Try contacting the Kushi Institute in either Becket or Lee, Massachusetts.  They'd know for sure.  You could also try google search either Cornelia or Herman Aihara in Chico, CA, for a West Coast connection.  Shiitake mushrooms are used extensively in macrobiotic and Japanese cuisine.

Answer 2

nothing from china is safe they are trying to kill us