• Posted January 12, 2026

California Warns Against Foraging After Deadly Wild Mushrooms Kill 3

California health officials are warning residents to avoid eating wild mushrooms after a sharp rise in poisonings that has left multiple people dead and others with severe liver damage.

Thirty-five people in the state were poisoned by wild mushrooms between Nov. 18 and Jan. 4, according to the Sonoma County Department of Health Services. The outbreak has led to three deaths and three liver transplants.

In a normal year, the state would expect fewer than five mushroom poisonings, said Dr. Michael Stacey, Sonoma County’s interim health officer.

One of the deaths involved a Sonoma County resident who ate wild mushrooms in early January, officials said.

Health experts say the illnesses are tied to death cap mushrooms, one of the world’s most dangerous mushroom species. Death caps contain amatoxin, a poison that can destroy the liver and kidneys.

Early rainfall and mild fall weather helped the mushrooms spread widely across Northern California, Stacey said.

Last month, the California Department of Public Health issued a statewide warning to avoid foraging after clusters of poisonings were reported in the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey County.

Symptoms usually start within 24 hours and can include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and dehydration.

While symptoms may briefly improve, life-threatening liver damage can appear days later, health officials warned.

“Eating wild mushrooms gathered without expert identification can be unsafe,” Stacey said. “Some harmful varieties closely resemble edible mushrooms, even to experienced foragers.”

Children under 6 make up most pediatric mushroom poisonings, officials said. Parents are urged to watch children and pets closely in areas where mushrooms grow.

Officials stress that cooking, freezing or drying toxic mushrooms does not make them safe. People should only eat mushrooms purchased from grocery stores or trusted retailers.

Tracking mushroom poisonings is difficult, but a 2018 study in the journal Mycologia estimated about 7,400 toxic mushroom exposures occur in the U.S. each year.

More information

The BC Center for Disease Control has more on death cap mushrooms.

SOURCE: The New York Times, Jan. 10, 2026