A UK Grocery Store Disturbingly Displayed Poisonous Daffodils Next To Spring Onions
Most people expect the foods they consume from grocery stores and restaurants to be without risk, as well as labeled properly in case there's any confusion. Sadly, displays can be misleading and not always taken at face value. There are surprisingly several food poising risks to be aware of when shopping at a grocery store. According to a report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there are several concerning factors to consider. For one, food stored at supermarket buffets can be dangerous due to improper temperature storage. Furthermore, employees working at these food bars might be handling your food without following proper handwashing measures. There are also concerns regarding where food originated from, which can be quite hard to pinpoint.
In April 2016, a shopper sprayed a mixture of liquid on the food bar at Whole Foods, and as it turned out, the chemical-laden combination contained rat poison (via Self). The man was thankfully caught and the buffet line was temporarily shut down. One customer, who routinely scooped up a salad that day claimed they felt sick for several days following, which deterred them a bit as they considered how safe these food lines really are.
This situation couldn't have been avoided, but with enough attention to detail, a recent issue at a U.K. grocery store could be caught ahead of time.
The display was labelled with 'eat well'
Revealed in a tweet, a U.K. grocery store, M&S stuck daffodils on the same display as spring onions. "Gosh, my mum sent me this," @Botanygeek began. "Daffodils are the single most common cause of plant-based poisoning as people mistake their bulbs (even cut flower buds) for crops in the onion family."
Daffodils contain a chemical called lycorine, which if consumed, causes a range of health problems such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. It can also cause more severe problems like liver damage and low blood pressure. "I don't want to get any staff in trouble. But you need better training ASAP," the tweet continued, tagging the grocery store to catch its attention. The toxic flowers were displayed under a sign that read "eat well."
A spokesperson from the company has since apologized for the dangerous mistake, according to Metro. "Customer safety is our priority and our British daffodils are clearly labeled with an on-pack warning that they are not safe to consume," they said. They promised to remind stores to display the flowers properly and called the incident a "genuine error."