M&S ‘poison’ complaint over daffodils next to spring onions

MARKS & SPENCER has apologised for displaying spring onions and daffodils next to each other, amid fears that customers could mistakenly eat the toxic flowers.

A spokesperson for the store apologised for “any confusion caused” over the layout.

Botanist James Wong posted an image of the vegetables and spring flowers displayed side-by-side.

He wrote on Twitter: “Daffodils are the single most common cause of plantbased poisoning as people mistake their bulbs (even cut flower buds) for crops in the onion family.

“Marks & Spencer, I don’t want to get any staff in trouble. But you need better training Asap.”

According to Poison.org, the flowers – which are from the Narcissus family, contain a toxic chemical called lycorine, which is highly concentrated in the bulb. The flowers on display at the M&S store, thought to be in Birmingham, did not appear to have bulbs still attached.

Poison.org said: “Eating any part of the plant can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. These symptoms usually last about three hours.

“More severe problems such as low blood pressure, drowsiness, and damage to the liver have been reported in animals that ate very large amounts of the plant but have never been reported in humans.

“The bulb also contains chemicals called oxalates, which are microscopic and needle-like. When swallowed, oxalates cause severe burning and irritation of the lips, tongue, and throat. They can also cause skin irritation.”

Mr Wong added: “I should remind people, this poisoning is [very] common and excruciating. Often affecting kids, old people and immigrants.”

An M&S statement to Birmingham Live said: “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 an error on the part of one of our store teams and we have asked the store to rectify. We apologise for any confusion caused.”