While people use the internet or apps to pick mushrooms, these practices can be dangerous.
Using your smartphone to find out about mushrooms to pick is not a good idea. Whether on the internet or using an application, the results presented are not always reliable, which can lead to food poisoning.
The danger of false images
On September 19, a member of the “mycology” group on Reddit reported the presence of a false image appearing on Google when searching for a specific type of mushroom. As he indicates, by typing “Coprinus comatus”, a mushroom which is edible, in the search bar, the first image that appears seems real, but it is not.
Showing a set of mushrooms, this one was generated by artificial intelligence. It is hosted on the Freepik image bank under the name “Coprinus comatus on transparent background | Premium PSD generated by AI”.
The problem with these kinds of images is that they mislead Internet users and can put their lives in danger. In this specific case, the mushrooms appearing in the image put forward by Google resemble micaceous coprins, which are not edible, as Guillaume Eyssartier, mycologist, pointed out to Numerama.
Avoid apps
Mushroom identification apps aren’t always better. In its latest publication concerning poisoning linked to mushrooms, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) recommends “not consuming mushrooms identified by means of a recognition application of mushrooms on smartphone, due to the high risk of error”.
For example, of the 1,923 poisonings reported to Poison Control Centers between July 1 and December 31, 2022, 30 people had used recognition applications on smartphones.
