Mushroom picking: poisonings every year in Maine-et-Loire

This year again, there have been poisonings due to the consumption of mushrooms. In September 2024, in France, there were 280 cases of poisoning recorded. The Angers University Hospital poison control center (which covers the Pays de la Loire, Brittany, Normandy and Center Val de Loire regions) has noted cases of poisoning since the end of September 2024, the date of the start of picking: 15 cases in September 2024 for Pays de la Loire and 40 cases between October 1 and 28.

There have been 3 serious cases since September 2024 in Pays de la Loire and around forty in France since the start of the year. The Angers University Hospital explains that, “the most serious cases are cases of food poisoning in people who say they know about it or people who do not understand and go to the Internet for information and consume despite doubt.”

On average, each year, France deplores three to five deaths linked to the ingestion of mushrooms. “But without leading to death, certain poisonings generate serious complications such as kidney failure, or cases that require a transplant.”