MDARD Provides Safety and Sales Guidelines for Wild-Foraged Mushroom Season

Wild mushroom season brings culinary delights, but also food safety risks

LANSING, Mich.-As the spring wild-foraged mushroom season gets underway, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is reminding foragers, retailers and consumers that the Michigan Food Code requires all wild-foraged mushrooms to be inspected and found safe by a certified mushroom identification expert before they can be sold.

Edible wild mushrooms are a culinary delicacy that many Michigan families enjoy foraging for and consuming at home or in restaurants. Follow these guidelines if you plan to sell or purchase wild-foraged mushrooms in Michigan:

• If you plan to sell your wild-foraged mushroom harvest, you must be a certified mushroom identification expert or you must have the mushrooms inspected by a certified expert.
• If you operate a store or restaurant and plan to purchase wild-foraged mushrooms for resale, those mushrooms must be purchased from an approved source and individually inspected by a certified mushroom identification expert.
• If you plan to purchase wild-foraged mushrooms online or in-person, always ask the seller for proof of inspection by a certified individual.

Individuals who wish to become certified mushroom identification experts must complete the wild-foraged mushroom training course offered by Midwest American Mycological Information (MAMI), or a comparable course approved by MDARD. MDARD certifies individuals who successfully complete the MAMI training course as mushroom identification experts. These experts should be prepared to show their certification cards as proof of certification upon request.

Many species of edible wild mushrooms grow in Michigan, including morels and chantarelles. However, Michigan's forests also contain toxic mushroom varieties that can cause serious illness or death when ingested, including some that resemble edible mushroom species.

Common symptoms associated with mushroom poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, weakness, lethargy and yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice). Mushroom poisoning is usually the result of ingesting wild mushrooms after misidentifying a toxic mushroom as an edible species.

If you suspect mushroom poisoning, seek immediate medical assistance and call the Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center at 1-800-222-1222.

To report potentially illegal sales of wild-foraged mushrooms, please use MDARD's online complaint form.

Visit MAMI's website for more information about mushroom identification training and certification.

Visit MDARD's website to view a list of certified mushroom identification experts in Michigan.

For tips on where or how to find morels and other edible spring mushroom varieties in Michigan, visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources mushroom hunting page. Mushrooms found on public land are for personal use and cannot be sold.

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