Do you know what to do when you spy that green, grey or white fuzz on your foods? Better known as mould, this microscopic fungi can grow on the outside peel of an orange, permeate lunchmeat and set up camp in a container of cottage cheese. You never want to eat mould because there’s a risk it could cause an allergic reaction or respiratory issues — or even sickens you enough to send you to the emergency room if it’s incredibly toxic. Thankfully, most people are healthy enough that a couple of accidental bites of a sandwich with unnoticed green fuzz creeping across the bread won’t likely hurt them. But how do you keep mould off your food and out of your kitchen?
You could start by examining your groceries to make sure you’re not bringing home mouldy food in the first place and by keeping your produce dry since moisture encourages mould growth. And you should know that even though most moulds thrive in warmer temperatures, they can also grow on products in your refrigerator. They’re also unfazed by salt and sugar.
While you can cut off the mould on some food and keep eating, many experts suggest you toss mouldy food and not take the risk. But considering how expensive food is getting, you probably want to know which products you can consume after cutting off the mould and which ones should avoid, like the plague. Read on and find out.
Don’t eat mouldy soft cheeses.
Soft cheeses are delicious, but not with a coating of mould. Please do not take any chances eating soft cheeses that have mould on them, whether it’s a bar of cream cheese you wanted to slather on your bagel or a tub of cottage cheese you’ve been craving since your workout. If mould is detected in a bag of crumbled, shredded, or even sliced cheese, play it safe and toss those bags out.
According to The Healthy, softer cheeses are more accessible for the mould to drill down into, so you can’t see what mould and even bacteria are lurking beneath the surface. The last thing you want to do is enjoy that bagel smeared with cream cheese and then turn around and get sick from it. Don’t even keep the container the soft cheese came in, in case it doesn’t come completely clean after being washed.
Don’t eat mouldy hot dogs, bacon and lunchmeat.
Most hot dogs, bacon and lunchmeat products are full of preservatives and sodium that help them last longer. However, though you might think they could withstand a smattering of mould, considering their lengthy shelf life, that’s just not the case, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
The USDA advises that these types of processed meat products contain enough moisture to propel mould to develop past the surface to where you cannot see it, making them unsafe to consume. So, if your cold cuts or other meaty products show funky mould spores, don’t take the risk — just toss out that lunchmeat sandwich and find something safer to munch on.
And no, cooking and heating these products won’t necessarily erase the harm that can be caused by mould, the USDA says. This advice also stands for leftover meat and poultry — cooking those mouldy leftovers also isn’t helpful. It’s best to stay safe, discard those old scraps, and plan to play it smarter at the grocery store the next time you restock.
Don’t eat mouldy baked goods.
You grab a loaf of bread out of the cupboard, snatch a slice and prepare to pop it in the toaster. That’s when you notice the creepy green fuzzy spots spreading across its surface. Who hasn’t been there? It’s surprisingly easy for mould to grow on soft and porous foods, particularly bread and baked goods.
According to Insider, one mould that commonly grows on bread is called Rhizopus stolonifera, or black bread mould. Scarily enough, black bread mould can cause a deadly infection if consumed. In this case, it’s safest to toss out that bread or those baked goods. And don’t discard just the one contaminated slice of bread or muffin; it’s best to throw out the entire loaf or batch to err on the safer side.
Bread and baked goods are some of the foods that produce toxic byproducts called mycotoxins, which can be poisonous. According to Business Insider, storing bread and baked goods in the refrigerator keeps them cool enough to keep away those pesky mould spores. As for freezing baked goods, be sure to do so correctly.
Don’t eat mouldy, soft fruits.
Soft fruits that smoosh or bruise easily are much more prone to turning mouldy — these include berries, peaches and grapes. And if you bring home a bag of grapes that looked terrific at the store, only to find a smooshed one covered in mould somewhere in the bag, it’s best to just toss the whole bunch because mould can spread quickly and down deeper into softer fruit, Today reports.
Bigger soft fruits, like peaches, can be tossed out individually. Also, do not cut away at the soft fruits to try and salvage them because it’s not worth the risk of eating something that has touched mould.
Why all this extra caution? Soft fruits have high moisture content, making them ideal for mould to thrive in, even if they have a high acid content, the USDA advises. Also, if your soft fruits touch other fruits and vegetables stored around them, inspect those because mould from fruits and veggies can spread quickly.
Don’t eat mouldy soft vegetables (including some that are cooked)
On that note, it would also be wise to closely examine your soft veggies for mould if they’ve been in the fridge for a while, as soft vegetables are also more prone to growing mould quickly, according to the USDA. Soft veggies include staples such as legumes like green beans and cucumbers, as well as cooked vegetables that have high moisture content.
Moldy cooked vegetables could be found in dishes like casseroles or stew, and you’d be wise to toss out the whole dish if you come across them, SheKnows reports. But you probably shouldn’t panic if you accidentally bite into a mouldy one of these veggies: Rudolph Bedford, a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, told Women’s Health that unless your symptoms spiral past simple nausea, you’ll most likely be okay. Just examine your leftovers to minimize the likelihood of this happening.
Don’t eat mouldy pasta dishes.
Mmmmm pasta. There are few things more disappointing than when you’ve been dreaming about reheating a plate of last night’s pasta for lunch, but then you discover those funky fuzzy spores lurking beneath the noodles. Ugh, mouldy pasta: Can’t you simply scoop out the nasty parts and move on with your life? No, not at all.
You cannot eat any pasta dishes that have the slightest trace of mould in them, and it’s advised you don’t simply remove the mouldy spots of cooked pasta because the high moisture content makes it a breeding ground for bacteria and mould. On that note, chances are you can’t see just how far the mould has spread into that dish, so even nabbing a corner section far away from the mould simply isn’t a good idea. Cut your stomach some slack and throw it away, especially considering how cheap pasta can be to replace.
Don’t eat mouldy yoghurt or sour cream.
Soft dairy foods like yoghurt and sour cream also come with a warning about mould from the USDA. Even though yoghurt is a fermented food that is full of healthy probiotic cultures that help regulate the digestive tract, it’s quick to grow mould because of its high moisture content.
The mould in yoghurt can establish deep roots, and the same rule applies to other soft dairy foods. In fact, wet foods and mould usually go hand in hand, so be sure to give your cup of yoghurt a good glance before digging in, Amanda A. Kostro Miller, a registered dietitian and nutrition advisor, told Clean Plates.
And if you notice a yoghurt container is bulging, that’s most likely extra fermentation; however, because you don’t know where that bacteria come from, you’re better off tossing out those containers as well, according to Berkeley Wellness.
Don’t eat mouldy jams and jellies.
If you see some strange growth in a jar of jelly or jam, don’t even think about simply scooping it out and digging in. Firstly, jams and jellies have a high moisture content since they’re made of fruit in the first place, which means mould could proliferate. The mould that grows in such treats is capable of producing poisonous mycotoxins.
Whether it’s a cheaper jar of store-brand grape jelly or a fancy glass container of jam, both can put you at risk of becoming quite ill if consumed while mouldy. And what exactly could happen if you scoop out that mould and dig into a jar of old jam anyway? According to the World Health Organization, ingesting mycotoxins could lead to vomiting and other gastrointestinal distress in the short run or potentially even kidney or liver damage, along with an increased risk of some cancers, long-term.
Don’t eat mouldy nuts.
Almonds, pistachios and other nuts harbour a whole host of health benefits, but they also can host mould because of a lack of preservatives, Independent reports. However, nuts and seeds that are salted, roasted or otherwise processed are more likely to contain preservatives. They are less likely to develop mould — but aren’t excluded from carrying harmful toxins.
According to a study in the journal Microbiology Insights, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds can attract mould, specifically mycotoxins, which the World Health Organization says can cause immediate illness or long-term issues like lower immunity or a higher risk of some cancers.
It’s best to examine your nuts and seeds before eating them. Any physical damage, including weird colouring or being shrivelled, probably means they’re not safe to eat, the WHO advises. Some people wash and dry their nuts and seeds before consuming them in the hopes of warding off any toxins from forming.
Do eat mouldy, hard cheese
Mice may not care if their cheese has mould on it, but you should. Firstly, this depends on whether your cheese is hard or soft. Soft cheeses with mould, just like soft dairy products, should be tossed if mouldy, and hard cheeses that were not made with mould — but you’ll have to take an important step to ensure safety.
If you notice mould on hard cheese, it can still be eaten so long as you cut off a mouldy chunk at least one inch around the spores and below the mould, according to the USDA. But do make sure your knife doesn’t touch the mould because you could spread it further. Also, you’ll have to use a new container to cover up the refreshed cheese. And if the hard cheese has more than just one spot and is dotted with green or white fuzzy spots, it’s best just to toss it.
Do eat cheeses made with mould
As for cheeses that are made with mould — like Roquefort, blue cheese, Gorgonzola and Stilton — as long as you can safely cut one inch around and below the mould, these cheeses are okay to eat. Some cheese manufacturers use the mould to form a protective rind around the exterior of cheeses, while other types of cheese, like blue cheese, are spiked with stainless steel rods to help push the mould deep into the cheese for flavour. Similarity? Cheese rinds are usually safe to eat, Food & Wine reports, and as long as you’re cutting off any extra mould, the complex, mouldy cheese they encase most likely are safe as well.
Do eat mouldy salami and ham
When you have a desire for a salami sandwich but pull out the slab and find there’s mould on it, don’t fret. You can still save your sandwich snack with some careful manoeuvring with a knife. Some hard salamis are actually made with mould that forms the white coating that encases the salami, which helps cure the meat and preserve it from bacteria. Dry-cured hams can also develop a similar surface mould. As long as you can scrub off or cut off any mould that forms on these meats, they’re okay to keep eating.
In fact, the USDA advises that mould on “dry-cured country hams” is standard, but the mould must be removed before the meat is cooked. Overall, as long as you use caution and wash or scrub away that mould, you can safely have a slice of ham for dinner or a salami sandwich for lunch.
Do eat mouldy, firm fruit
When your sweet tooth kicks in, and you reach for a piece of fruit, but there’s white and green funky stuff on it, what should you do? According to Reader’s Digest, firm fruits, like some types of pears, are okay to eat, but only if you remove the mouldy spot and a one-inch perimeter around and below it. But if the mould is on the peel of an orange or a grapefruit, you don’t know how deep the mould spore’s roots have gone into the fleshy part, so it’s best to toss it.
It’s a different story, however, when it’s firm fruit that’s been peeled and cut. Those fresh pieces of fruit should be avoided at all costs and tossed out. Mould has probably already reached the fresh pieces, so no matter how your formerly fresh fruit salad looks, if there’s mould, don’t risk it.
Don’t eat mouldy, firm veggies.
You have the green light to eat firm vegetables that have some mould on them as long as you cut them away in that one-inch safety perimeter we’ve talked about. Firm veggies such as carrots, cabbage, and peppers are lovely to consume once the mould is gone and thoroughly washed, the USDA says. But do use caution when cutting off the mould because, as with other mouldy foods, you could contaminate your knife.
According to Reader’s Digest, peppers and carrots are actually thrown out “too soon” because of mould contamination. However, if these particular pieces of produce have been cooked and are now mouldy, it’s time to toss them out. Veggies are a staple in casseroles, for example, so even if it started as a firm veggie, once it’s cooked and becomes mouldy, it’s off-limits. Feed it to the garbage can and cut your losses.
