Is It Safe To Eat? (2024)

As seen on BCTV September 14/99

MOLDY FOOD: IS IT SAFE TO EAT?

You know what I mean. That green, fuzzy stuff that grows on food. Mold can be good and bad. In certain types of cheese, especially blue cheese or Roquefort, mold is formed in the processing and aging and is edible. However, surface mold is not considered safe.

• Mold on grain products is the worst – e.g. moldy bread, moldy muffins, etc. – should be throw out.
• Also throw out the following if mold appears: small fruits like grapes, berries, melons and peaches; soft cheeses or yogurt; meat, peanuts, peanut butter or leftovers.
• It is okay to cut mold off of hard cheeses and hard fruits or vegetables like apples, potatoes, onions or cauliflower. Just be sure to cut away at least 1 inch as surface mold is more than what you see. It actually has hyphae or roots which can penetrate deeper into the food.
• If you do cut mold off cheese, cut at least 1 inch around the moldy area, rinse the cheese and re-wrap it. Clean the knife well. Other strategies are to put a small amount of vinegar in the cheese storage container to slow mold growth. If you buy more cheese than you can use before it goes bad, grate it and freeze it for later use in cooking.
• Interesting to know is that if mold grows below 7 degrees Celcius, it won’t be producing toxins and should be safe. Molds that grow at room temperature or higher are a greater concern.

The best way to prevent mold is to use food before it’s expiry date and keep foods stored or refrigerated properly. This includes minimizing their exposure to air. Heating or cooking does not destroy the toxins in the mold.

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment every Tuesday on BCTV’s Noon News Hour!

Article written by Patricia Chuey and reprinted with permission