ANSES warns of the risks of poisoning

The National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) warns of the risks of poisoning linked to the consumption of mushrooms, while the months of October and November are a traditional period of picking.

Poison control centers have already recorded 400 cases since July 1, 2024. In 2023, between July 1, 2023 and October 16, 2023, 600 cases have been recorded. If the figures are decreasing over this period, ANSES calls for “remain vigilant and respect good practices for safe consumption” because certain poisonings can lead to severe complications.

To avoid any accident, ANSES, the poison control centers and the Directorate General of Health recommend “pick up only” the mushrooms we know “perfectly”. If there is the slightest doubt about the species picked, the harvest must be checked. “by a specialist in the field” such as a pharmacist or a mycology association. Finally, the authorities advise against consuming a mushroom identified thanks to “a mushroom recognition application on smartphones, due to the high risk of error”.

ANSES also draws up its assessment for the entire period of 2023. Between July and December, 1,482 cases were recorded. “The symptoms observed were mainly digestive: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea”specifies ANSES. Twenty-three poisonings “were of high severity but there were no deaths”. Dangerous mushrooms had been picked, and often no analysis had been done before consumption.

Among the most frequently identified toxic species, we find the yellowing agaric, the poisonous lepiotes, the chicory bolete and the Satan bolete.