Marks and Spencer has issued an apology after it displayed daffodils next to spring onions in one of its stores, underneath a sign that encouraged customers to "eat well".
Daffodils are easy to mistake for a vegetable before they bloom but can be very harmful if eaten, with one expert comparing ingesting one to "swallowing a box of tiny needles". The flowers contain a toxic chemical called lycorine which can cause stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting if consumed.
But, despite the potential for a dangerous mix-up, a display in one M&S store featured bunches of daffodils next to spring onions, with the plants and vegetables indistinguishable at first glance. Above the display, a sign read: "Seasonal favourites - best in season, every season," and featured an 'Eat Well' sticker. You can get more consumer news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The supermarket giant has apologised for the display, saying that it was down to a "genuine error" in one of their stores. Get the latest news from WalesOnline sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter.
The display was brought to light by ethnobotanist and TV presenter James Wong, who took to Twitter to highlight the danger of eating daffodils. Tagging M&S in the tweet, he wrote: "Gosh, my mum sent me this. 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.
"I don’t want to get any staff in trouble. But you need better training asap."
Wong, who presented BBC series, Grow Your Own Drugs, added: “Daffodils are filled with microscopic crystals, so biting into one is like swallowing a box of tiny needles. Properly nasty.”
In 2012, Bristol's Chinese population was warned against eating daffodil stalks and leaves after 10 people were hospitalised by severe vomiting. That incident prompted the Health Protection Agency to recommend that supermarkets put warnings in English, Cantonese and Mandarin on daffodil labels over fears they were being mistaken for a chive used in Chinese cooking.
A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer told the Mirror: “Customer safety is our priority and our British daffodils are clearly labelled with an on-pack warning that they are not safe to consume.
“This was a genuine error in one of our stores and as a precaution, we are reminding all stores to make sure the flowers are displayed properly. We apologise for any confusion caused.”
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