The Ministry of Health warned the public of household dining safety on Wednesday, as it found that toxic plants and animals like mushrooms were blamed for rising food poisoning incidents in the third quarter of this year.

From July to September, 31 people were killed and 183 were poisoned by toxic mushrooms. The ministry reported a rise of 66.7 percent from the previous quarter who were poisoned by toxic plants and animals, resulting in 39 deaths.

The public lacked knowledge in identifying mushrooms, raising the possibility of poisoning in the rain-rich areas, said the ministry.

Besides mushrooms, 36 percent of reported food poisoning occurred in canteens, sickening 1,329 people in schools. Contamination of food caused by improper storage and cooking were blamed for the incidents.

In the third quarter, the ministry recorded a total of 211 food poisoning incidents, down 10.2 percent from the same period of last year. Deaths rose by 6.3 percent from the previous quarter.

The ministry also reported decrease of poisoning by rat poisons, which it said was contributed to tightened control on production and sales of rat poisons especially in rural regions.

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)