Advertisement

18 cases of wild mushroom poisoning reported in 2014 so far

People are being advised not to eat mushrooms they find growing in the wild. The warning, from th...
Newstalk
Newstalk

11.13 2 Oct 2014


Share this article


18 cases of wild mushroom pois...

18 cases of wild mushroom poisoning reported in 2014 so far

Newstalk
Newstalk

11.13 2 Oct 2014


Share this article


People are being advised not to eat mushrooms they find growing in the wild.

The warning, from the Food Safety Authority (FSAI), coincides with the start of the foraging season. Parents and guardians in particular are being urged to be vigilant to ensure children do not eat wild mushrooms that can be found in fields and gardens.

Last year, 19 cases of poisoning relating to wild mushrooms were notified to the National Poisons Information Centre.

Advertisement

18 have already been notified this year, involving seven adults and 11 children. All 11 children had accidentally eaten wild mushrooms.

The FSAI says that there are 14 native species of mushrooms in Ireland that can cause food poisoning, while 13 further species are 'highly dangerous' and can be life threatening.

Ray Ellard, Director of Consumer Protection at the FSAI, advises people to contact an experienced mushroom forager if they intend on foraging themselves. He explains that “in our opinion, websites and books showing visuals of mushrooms are not sufficient to identify safe mushrooms and we would not recommend people to solely rely on these to determine the safety of a wild mushroom.

"Eating a wild poisonous mushroom, raw or cooked, can result in people becoming very ill with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea and, in some cases, it can result in liver failure," he added.


Share this article


Read more about

News

Most Popular