Foraging comes with significant safety risks, says UNSW food microbiologist.
From wild mushrooms to native greens, more Australians are embracing foraging as a way to reconnect with nature and eat local produce.
As cooler weather brings the right conditions for wild mushrooms and edible plants, more people may be tempted to forage for their next meal.
Foraging in Australia is legal but the regulations vary significantly by state, the type of land ownership, and the species being collected.
According to UNSW food microbiologist Associate Professor Julian Cox, the biggest danger isn’t what people can see – it’s what they can’t.
“There’s a romantic notion of going out and sourcing your own food,” he says.
“We’re seeing it become trendy on social media and even in culinary circles, where restaurant menus celebrate not just local produce, but wild ingredients. Some of the world’s top restaurants are acclaimed for using foraged ingredients.
“But foraging individually exposes people to a range of food safety risks if they are not careful – and these can have deadly consequences.”
Why wild mushrooms are worrisome
A/Prof. Cox says wild mushrooms are one of the top concerns for food safety experts because some poisonous species closely resemble edible varieties.
Eating toxic wild mushrooms can have varied effects on the body from gastrointestinal symptoms, vomiting, and diarrhoea, to hallucinations.
The death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides, is among Australia’s most poisonous fungi. Its effects are insidious: initially, the intoxication causes severe gastric symptoms that seem to resolve, but without medical intervention, organ damage and failure ensue, leading to death. As little as half a cap can be lethal.
Every year, the Australian Poisons Information Centre receive almost 900 calls about people eating wild mushrooms, with around one in three cases requiring hospital treatment.
While rare, death cap mushrooms are responsible for about 90% of mushroom poisonings in Australia, including a recent case in Victoria last year.
The yellow staining mushroom, Agaricus xanthodermus, is another poisonous mushroom that often gets mistaken for the edible field mushroom. It’s the leading cause of mushroom poisoning in Victoria and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms that can last for several days.
Unlike food poisoning bacteria that are usually destroyed through heat, the chemical toxins found in poisonous mushrooms remain dangerous even after cooking.
“It’s important people don’t take that risk,” says A/Prof. Cox.
“If you’re not 100% sure what you’re foraging for, don’t eat it.
“The consequences are so severe – the safest option is to avoid eating foraged wild mushrooms altogether.”
Hidden contamination
The risk of foraging doesn’t stop at poisonous fungi.
Food gathered from the wild can also be contaminated by animal faeces, that may contain harmful microbes, including bacteria and parasites.
A/Prof. Cox points to widely reported case of an Australian woman who developed a rare parasitic infection after eating Warrigal Greens, Tetragonia tetragonioides. It was believed the rare parasite, Ophidascaris robertsi, came from a python, its faeces likely contaminating the food. Doctors later removed a live roundworm from the woman’s brain.
“While the case was considered extremely rare, it highlights the importance of food safety practices such as washing any produce before eating,” says A/Prof. Cox.
“And this applies to any food you’ve collected. While you might not think of it as foraging, growing your own in your back yard may come with hazards.
“Companion animals, such as cats and dogs, or other animals, such as poultry, can carry ‘bad bugs’, and these may find their way onto your lovely produce, via faeces, or water.”
Foraged foods may also absorb or accumulate chemicals from the soil, water or surrounding environment where they grow, he says.
“For example, foraging shellfish and other seafood from certain areas is prohibited, due to concerns about pollutants that might accumulate in it.
“You just don’t know what else is lurking in what you’ve foraged.”
Buy, don’t pick
While commercially grown produce is not immune to contamination, more controlled production minimises risk.
In line with the advice from the Food Safety Information Council, A/Prof. Cox says the safest option is to leave wild foods where they are and consume only commercially grown alternatives to maximise food safety.
“The Australian food industry is heavily regulated, meaning food sold in supermarkets undergoes rigorous food safety checks before they hit the shelves,” he says.
“From how fresh produce is grown to how it’s processed and handled, there are multiple safeguards in place. Though there are no guarantees around food safety with raw, fresh and minimally processed foods, well controlled production and processing grteaytly mitigates risk.
“In the case of mushroom production, commercial growers use carefully controlled systems, including certified mushroom spawn and pasteurised soil, to ensure only edible species are cultivated.”
A final word of advice
For experienced foragers who have specialised knowledge, identifying species that are edible may be second nature. But for most people, it could be a deadly mistake.
“When it comes to wild mushrooms, if you’re not completely certain what you’re looking at, don’t eat it,” says A/Prof. Cox.
“You can reduce some risks through good food handling but if you’ve picked the wrong mushroom or collected food that’s contaminated with toxins, no amount of cooking will make it safe.
“Taking that chance could ultimately cost you your life.”
