Eating mold can cause serious health risks. However, some foods are completely safe after cutting off the mold, such as hard cheeses, hard or dried meats and firm fruits or vegetables, per the USDA.
If you want to risk it, other items such as soft cheeses, yogurt, jams and jellies and soft fruits or vegetables might be okay. There is still a chance of health complications or change in flavor, according to Eating Well, USA Today, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The New York Times.
Is mold on food dangerous?
According to Jenkins Environmental, exposure to mold is dangerous. The symptoms of mold poisoning can cause minimal to serious health problems, even death:
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Abdominal pain.
- Diarrhea.
- Headache.
- Fever.
- Fatigue.
- Skin rashes.
- Dizziness.
- Respiratory problems.
- Allergic reactions.
Contact poison control or go to the closest emergency room if you believe you have come into contact with mold.
Mold can be found everywhere, including on plants, in houses and on food. While some mold can be good for the environment, such as helping to break down dead material, it can be problematic for humans, per Rhode Island Department of Health.
However, some mold helps to enhance food and would therefore be considered good for humans. For example, molds can play a role in crafting specific types of cheeses like Brie or blue cheese, per the USDA.
Mold on food: What will make you sick?
Finding mold on the foods you buy can be disheartening. Personally, sometimes I feel wasteful of the food and the money I used to buy it.
If you’re willing to risk it, here is a list of foods provided by the USDA with different insights on whether the risk of getting sick is high or pretty low.
Remember, there is still a chance of a serious health risk.
- Luncheon meats, bacon or hot dogs: Discard. You might be okay, however there is a higher risk of listeria, per Cleveland Clinic.
- Hard salami and dry-cured country hams: Use but scrub the mold off the surface, according to the USDA.
- Cooked leftover meat and poultry: Discard, the moisture allows mold to spread throughout, per Reader’s Digest.
- Cooked casseroles: Discard as it spreads easily, according to Bust Mold.
- Cooked grain and pasta: Discard, the moisture in the food causes mold and bacteria to spread into places you can’t see, per Eat This Not That.
- Hard cheese (not made with mold): Use, but cut off one inch around the moldy spot and cover it in a new bag or wrap, per the USDA.
- Cheese made with mold: Discard soft cheeses or, if hard, use and cut off one inch around the mold, according to the USDA.
- Soft cheese: Discard as the flavor is impacted, however you might not get sick from it, per Eating Well.
- Yogurt and sour cream: Discard, however some individuals who accidentally eat it will not notice anything, according to USA Today.
- Jams and jellies: Use, but try to scoop off the affected and surrounding area. Its unstable texture increases the chance of more mold growing or spreading if you’re not careful in handling, per Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- Fruits and vegetables, firm: Use, but cut off one inch around the moldy spot and cover it in a new bag or wrap, according to the USDA.
- Fruits and vegetables, soft: Use, but throw away the moldy fruits and vegetables and the ones surrounding those moldy foods. Make sure the rest of them do not have visible spores if there are any left, per The New York Times.
- Bread and baked goods: Discard, mold spores spread quickly and the whole bag or package is contaminated, according to USA Today.
- Peanut butter, legumes and nuts: Discard, foods produced with chemicals have more dangerous molds, per Eat This Not That.
Just question, is eating this food or saving a little money really worth the consequences and costs that could result?