We’ve all done it. We’re busy, hustling to prepare some quick food, and we take a bite and start chewing, and then rushing to the sink to get that nasty, moldy taste out of our mouths. And because we don’t like wasting food—it’s getting increasingly expensive and the money for it sure doesn’t grow on trees—we wonder whether the whole loaf or whatever has to be tossed, or whether some of it can still be salvaged. We know that in the challenging times that lie ahead, some people are going to take risks they might otherwise avoid.
And so we need to know now: when is it safe to eat moldy food, and when should it be tossed? The following information comes from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website.[1]
- Safe to Eat
- Hard salami and dry processed country hams. It’s normal for these shelf stable meats to have surface mold on them. It just needs to be scrubbed off.
- Hard cheeses. Remove and discard cheese 1” from around and below the mold spot.
- Fruits and vegetables that are inherently firm—cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, etc. Remove and discard at least 1” around the mold spot.
- Should Be Tossed
- Fruits and vegetables that are inherently soft—berries, peaches, cucumbers, etc. Mold easily penetrates below the surface of these fruits and vegetables.
- Breads (yes, the whole loaf) and baked goods
- Jams and jellies (yes, the whole jar)
- Leftovers
- Lunch meats
- Peanut butter, legumes, nuts
- Soft cheeses, as well as all crumbled, sliced, or shredded cheeses
- Yogurt and sour cream
I know I’m not the only person out there who has spotted mold on the heal of a loaf of bread, sniffed and carefully inspected the loaf, and decided that a slice on the other end would be safe to eat. I’m still here. And pretty healthy. And Marianne Gravely, senior technical information specialist for the USDA, agrees that this this situation, bread on the other end from the mold spot may be safe.[2]
So how dangerous is it really to eat moldy food?
Aflatoxin, which is produced by mold that grows in legumes like peanut butter and field corn, is a known carcinogen.
Mycotoxins are produced by molds that grow in jams and jellies. This is why they must be processed in a water bath and not merely sealed with wax as our ancestors did.
However, some of the risks are not from ingesting the mold, but rather from inhaling the spores.[3] Those with mold allergies and asthma are at greatest risk, but others without known allergies should also be cautious. Those spores in the respiratory tract may wreak havoc on your health.
Of course, preventing mold from forming in the first place will avoid having to question whether to eat or toss valuable food.
- Don’t leave any perishables out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours.
- Consume leftovers within 3-4 days so that mold has no chance to grow.
- When serving food, keep it covered when not in immediate use to prevent exposure to mold spores in the air.
- Clean the refrigerator regularly, at least once per month.
- Keep washcloths, towels, sponges, and mops clean.
- Keep humidity in the house below 40%, if possible.
Food spoilage with mold generally does not present the health risk that food poisoning does. As mentioned in the many posts addressing the various forms of food poisoning, food spoilage is not the same. Most often when people get food poisoning, there is no sign that the food was contaminated. With food spoilage, the visible presence of mold makes it obvious that there is some kind of problem. If food had the opportunity to become exposed to mold and grow to make its presence known, it also had the opportunity to become exposed to bacteria, which are much more difficult to identify and which don’t usually affect the taste of the food.
In short, if you’ve got mold growing where it shouldn’t be, you’ve also got a good chance of unwanted bacteria there as well. So if possible, and after considering the above recommendations, when in doubt, throw it out. Be healthy and keep your family healthy.
[1] https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/molds-food-are-they-dangerous
[2] https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/21/523647669/is-it-safe-to-eat-moldy-bread
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm#affect
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