The labels were unveiled by the director general of Greenhouses, Medicinal Plants and Edible Mushrooms Affairs Office with the Agriculture Ministry, Gholamreza Taqavi, during his visit to a mushroom cultivation unit in Hashtgerd, Alborz Province, ILNA reported.
The consumers may send the code on the labels via SMS to see if the mushrooms they’re purchasing are healthy and safe, Financial Tribune reported.
The move comes after a series of deaths were recently reported across the country, as a result of consuming poisonous mushrooms.
As reported by IRNA, at least eight people lost their lives and hundreds of other were poisoned last month.
Mojtaba Khaledi, spokesman of the National Emergency Services, told the Persian daily Shargh that seven of the fatalities happened in Kermanshah Province and one in Lorestan Province.
In a recent interview with ILNA, Taqavi said Iran’s per capita mushroom consumption grew from 800 grams in the fiscal March 2007-8 to 1.3 kilograms in March 2016-17.
This is while the global average stands at 1.5-2 kg and even reaches 4 kilograms in advanced countries.
Iran’s mushroom industry has created about 8,000 direct jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs.
According to Taqavi, the cultivation of edible mushroom is less water-intensive compared to other agro products.