Canned mushrooms that were imported from the People's Republic of China were implicated in a multistate outbreak of Staphylococcus aureus. The report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report cited four specific examples of illness attributed to the product. The report also indicated that there had been three other outbreaks possibly linked with the product, but failed to comment further. The mushrooms were sold in institution-sized cans (10 pounds) and were served to the public in a variety of recipes. The mushrooms were widely distributed. Staphylococcal enterotoxin is not inactivated by temperatures used in canning and cooking.