The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration says that nearly 7,000 people suffered from food poisoning last year. That’s the highest number in 23 years. This number includes both cases in which people got sick from contaminated food and cases of actual poisoning caused by accidentally ingesting toxic substances.
In Taiwan, toads are a sign of good luck and prosperity. Those who eat them, though, will get neither. They may look like frogs, but they are not edible. Last year, a family of six suffered from food poisoning after eating a toad. One family member died.
Dr. Yen Tzung-hai, a specialist in toxicology, says the toad’s skin, salivary glands, and internal organs are toxic, causing life-threatening irregular heartbeats.
It isn’t just toads being misidentified as food. Last year, another person died after eating a poisonous mushroom called a false parasol.
According to Taiwan’s FDA, the number of food poisoning cases more than doubled between 2018 and 2019. In addition to eating poisonous things by mistake, many were also sickened from contaminated, improperly handled, or improperly stored food. Over 4,000, for instance, got food poisoning from school meals last year.
When it comes to turning the growing number of cases around, there’s no time like the present. We are now in high summer, a time when bacteria responsible for food poisoning grow rapidly. Dr. Yen says one important tip is to avoid eating meals left at room temperature for more than two hours.