Pangasinan folk cautioned on eating mushrooms amid recent food poisoning cases

Health authorities in Pangasinan cautioned residents on gathering and eating mushrooms, following a series of food poisoning incidents involving mushrooms this week.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Anna de Guzman said that while cultured mushrooms are relatively safe, those gathered in the wild may not be edible.

"Marami ang mushroom na binebenta at kinu-culture ito. Kung ito cultured o inaalagaan ng factory ito ay na-determine na edible," she told GMA Dagupan's Joanne Ponsoy on 24 Oras North Central Luzon.

One of the food poisoning incidents occurred in Malasiqui involving members of the Zamora family.

Some family members experienced dizziness and vomited after eating mushrooms Tuesday night. Two children were brought to the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital for treatment.

Even their mother experienced dizziness while two other relatives also did so but did not see a doctor.

"Nasuka ako dalawa o tatlong beses," said the siblings' mother Helen Zamora.

The Zamoras had recovered as of Thursday.

A separate report by GMA Dagupan's Jasmin Gabriel said the PHO declared the situation under control.

But it is still investigating the recent possible mushroom-related food poisoning cases, which involved as many as 16 people from Bayambang, Basista, and Malasiqui.

"Sa likod ng bahay pagingatan natin, kasi baka may naihalo na di pwede kainin," de Guzman said.

She added 95 percent of food poisoning cases are accidental and involved mushrooms that turned out to be not edible.

The incidents had also prompted some consumers to be wary of buying mushrooms. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News