“In general, you should eat mushrooms in small quantities, well cooked, and never at all meals. The mycological society of France wrote this warning in red letters on its website. Proof that the risks of poisoning are still poorly understood in France, while 10,625 poisonings were reported between 2010 and 2017.
After a drastic increase in the number of cases in October, the Directorate General of Health (DGS) called on consumers to be vigilant and respect certain practices. Recommendations that take on their full meaning after the death of an art market figure on Wednesday. The fifties have succumbed to food poisoning which could be due to the consumption of morels.
Over a hundred intoxications in 30 years
Morels, which are collected from March to May, generally herald the arrival of spring and are considered to be one of the most prestigious mushrooms. But if they appear in the list of edible species, a report from the coordinating committee for toxicovigilance (CCTV) dating from January 2008 highlights the risks of intoxication linked to their consumption.
"During the spring of 2006, the Poison Control Center of Angers identified, on two occasions, cases of poisoning by morels resulting in neurological signs, recalls the CCTV. The interrogation of the databases of the French poison and toxicovigilance centers over a period of almost 30 years made it possible to detect 129 cases of compatible intoxication, manifested by tremors, dizziness, drunkenness, disorders of the balance or ataxia ( Editor's note: movement coordination disorder )… ”
Never eat them raw
The "edibility" of morels "requires sufficient cooking", insists the toxicovigilance committee. Because "the ingestion of raw specimens or the lack of cooking can be followed by the appearance of digestive disorders". “The most spectacular poisoning by morels is certainly that which occurred in Vancouver in 1992 […] following the consumption of raw morels in a salad, reports the CCTV. A young chef discovering the flavor of wild mushrooms had, during an official banquet, intoxicated 77 of the 483 guests. "
In their 2008 report, toxicologists already considered it "desirable to disseminate recommendations to the general public regarding the consumption of morels (risk of confusion with another mushroom, cooking), emphasizing in particular the need to limit the quantities ingested. "A classic risk from the consumption of morels is the possible confusion with gyromitres", underlines the toxicovigilance committee. This toxic fungus can cause digestive disorders, kidney failure problems, seizures, coma, or even death in the consumer within 6 to 24 hours of ingestion.
Photograph the mushrooms before eating them
Even when they are edible and you bought them from a market gardener or supermarket, mushrooms are not safe. According to a summary by Public Health France, the species responsible for poisoning in trade corresponded in particular to chanterelles, boletus or porcini mushrooms, button mushrooms, morels or shiitakes.
The National Health Security Agency (ANSES) therefore published in 2017 a list of 146 cultivated and wild mushrooms corresponding to edible varieties, specifying the conditions of their consumption variety by variety. "There may be poisonings linked to the consumption of edible species because they have been poorly preserved or poorly cooked," explains Dr Sandra Sinno-Tellier, in charge of toxicovigilance at ANSES.
Favor small quantities
"You should never eat too much, systematically cook them well, do not keep them in plastic bags because this accelerates rotting and never offer picked mushrooms to young children", explains Dr. Juliette Bloch, director health alerts and vigilance at ANSES. While 493 cases of poisoning had been identified in just two weeks in October, the Agency warns the pickers.
She recommends that they do not collect mushrooms near potentially polluted sites (roadsides, industrial areas, landfills, etc.) and separate the harvested mushrooms by species to avoid mixing pieces of poisonous and edible mushrooms. “A useful reflex, adds Juliette Bloch, photograph your harvest before cooking. The photo will be useful to the poison center toxicologist in case of poisoning to decide on the appropriate treatment! "