I love Daffodils, do you? They are so bright and signal that spring is on the way. Saturday however Public Health in the UK have issued a warning that Daffodils can be dangerous. We wondered if it was the nanny state gone mad but there have been a number of cases of severe sickness after the consumption of daffs. Why would you eat a Daffodil in the first place? Supermarkets have been warned to make sure that spring Daffs are not located close to food. When they are placed close to food it seems some customers assume they are edible and proceed to buy for eating. The bulbs apparently are confused with onions and the green stems with a type of Chinese green vegetable. Perhaps the daffodil bulbs could be confused with onions but the cut flowers? Surely not. Flowers however are often on sale in bud before the bright yellow glow is visible possibly resembling a type of spring onion. This health issue was unheard off in the UK prior 2012 but last year there were at least 27 cases of daffodil poisoning. So in 2015 Prof Paul Cosford, director for health protection at Public Health England has written a letter to supermarkets and other shops headed "steps to avoid daffodil poisonings this spring".
He said: "Each spring stores such as yours provide a wide selection of flowers, particularly cut daffodils and daffodil bulbs. "Unfortunately there are rare occasions when the bulbs are mistaken for onions, and the stems or leaves are mistaken for a type of vegetable popular in China. "As I'm sure you are aware, daffodils are dangerous if eaten and poisoning can occur as a result." He continued: "We are asking you, along with all other major supermarkets, to ensure that daffodils, both the bulbs from which they sprout and the cut variety too, are displayed well away from the produce or fruit and vegetable area" reports the BBC. But the UK has had a strong Chinese community for years so why is it suddenly a problem? Is it the growth of supermarkets and their product placing aimed at getting customers to make snap purchases? How to grow daffodils
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