LONDON — Health officials in Britain have a message: Daffodils can make you ill. Authorities have asked supermarkets to keep flowers far from fruit and vegetables, in case customers mistake poisonous blooms for food. Public Health England says it has seen cases of consumers mistaking daffodil bulbs for onions and the stems for a popular Chinese vegetable.
It has sent supermarkets a letter headed: "Steps to avoid daffodil poisonings this spring." Eating daffodils can cause vomiting and diarrhea. In 2012, several people in England were hospitalized after eating daffodil stems. The agency says it has received 63 inquiries about daffodil poisoning in the last six years. Agency director Paul Cosford said Saturday that separating daffodils from produce or using warning labels were "very sensible" precautions.
