Warning issued as deathcap mushrooms flourish after wet weather

Australians have been urged not to pick wild mushrooms, as wild weather has led to more deathcap mushrooms growing in parts of the country.

The changing season and wetter weather across Australia means more wild mushrooms are growing, but experts say one wrong move when backyard foraging could turn into a deadly mistake.

This is because the deathcap mushroom can grow after periods of heavy rain, and are almost impossible to distinguish from wild mushrooms that are safe to eat.

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The deathcap mushroom is found in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, and parts of New South Wales and Tasmania. They are highly poisonous and cannot be made safe to eat by cooking or freezing them.

"The poison in one Deathcap Mushroom, if eaten, is enough to kill a healthy adult," Lydia Butchmann from the Food Safety Information Council said.

Symptoms of deathcap mushroom poisoning can include vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps and usually appear 10 to 16 hours after eating.

Without quick medical intervention, people can die due to liver and kidney failure.

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The Food Safety Council said children and pets are at high risk of accidentally ingesting the mushroom, and said Aussies who see suspicious-looking mushrooms in their backyard should remove them safely.

In 2023, three people died in Victoria after eating a beef wellington laced with deathcap mushrooms at a lunch hosted by Erin Patterson. One person survived after nearly two months in hospital.

Patterson was tried and found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder last year.

She was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum sentence of 33 years' imprisonment. Patterson is currently appealing her sentence.

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