Conference for Food Protection

Due to public health food safety concerns, regulatory agencies in many jurisdictions follow the lead of the US FDA model Food Code (hereafter model Food Code) in requiring that wild harvested mushrooms sold to the public be identified by "an approved mushroom identification expert" (2009 model Food Code, Section 3-201.16). However, the pathway both for becoming an "approved mushroom identification expert" and having a regulatory agency recognize one are not well established or defined. The model Food Code recommends that all food served to the public must come from safe sources. The model Food Code further stipulates that mushrooms species picked in the wild shall be obtained from sources where each mushroom is individually inspected and found to be safe by an approved mushroom identification expert. However the model Food Code does not establish what constitutes the basis for approval of an identification expert. Due to the lack of established criteria and recognized training courses, some regulatory jurisdictions entirely prohibit the sale of wild harvested mushrooms. Other states have a limited program to allow specific species to be sold.

Continuing the work of the Wild Harvested Mushroom Committee will assure that the committee's charge, issued in 2010 to "develop guidelines to help regulators address the issue of wild mushrooms in food establishments", is fully realized. Only when state and local regulators, who currently do not have clear way forward to address this issue, are able to assure the safety of wild mushrooms in food establishments will the work of the committee be complete.

re-creating the Wild Harvested Mushroom Committee for the next biennium with the following charges:

1. develop guidelines to help regulators address the issue of wild mushrooms in food establishments.
2. report back its findings and recommendations to the 2014 CFP Biennial Meeting.