WEBVTT - When Is Moldy Food Safe to Eat?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bog obam Here, it's happened to all of us.

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<v Speaker 1>That fresh peach you were so excited to eat is

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly sporting a dime sized growth of fuzzy white stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>Or your last couple of slices of sandwich bread have

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<v Speaker 1>sprouted a few tiny flecks of green? Is it safe

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<v Speaker 1>to just trim off the unappealing area and consume the rest.

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<v Speaker 1>Mold on the surface of food usually appears as a

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<v Speaker 1>green or white area, often fuzzy and texture. It can

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<v Speaker 1>be widespread or appear to be isolated on just one section,

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<v Speaker 1>and while it may look like the growth is only

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<v Speaker 1>on the surface, mold is a fungus with a structure

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<v Speaker 1>similar to a plant, roots, a stock, and spores. The roots,

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<v Speaker 1>often invisible to the naked eye, can grow quite deep.

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<v Speaker 1>The stock and spores are what you see on the surface,

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<v Speaker 1>and the spores can go airborne, which can cause the

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<v Speaker 1>mold to spread on the current object or contaminate neighboring foods.

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<v Speaker 1>You've heard the expression in one bad apple spoils the barrel. Often,

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<v Speaker 1>if mold develops on one piece of food, it quickly

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<v Speaker 1>spreads to other nearby food. Not all molds are bad,

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<v Speaker 1>and some are normal and even desirable. Some cheeses, such

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<v Speaker 1>as roquefort, are speckled with characteristic blue green veins. To

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<v Speaker 1>achieve this quality, cheesemakers introduce a friendly, edible type of

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<v Speaker 1>mold during the manufacturing process. The resulting cheeses are perfectly

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<v Speaker 1>safe to eat, uniquely creamy and very popular, although admittedly

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<v Speaker 1>boast a funky and acquired taste. But other molds can

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<v Speaker 1>cause problems. Some cause allergic reactions or induce respiratory distress,

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<v Speaker 1>which is why you shouldn't sniff at a moldy product.

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<v Speaker 1>And some molds produce poisonous substances called mycotoxins, which can

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<v Speaker 1>cause serious illness. So what about that tasty peach you

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<v Speaker 1>were looking forward to. Because of its soft texture and

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<v Speaker 1>high moisture content, it's likely that further invisible contamination exists

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<v Speaker 1>beyond just the surface. It's safer to send that item

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<v Speaker 1>to the compost bin than risk illness. For complete guidelines

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<v Speaker 1>on what foods are safe and aren't based on current research,

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<v Speaker 1>it's best to check with your government's food safety education resources.

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<v Speaker 1>For example, the United States Department of Agricultures. Food Safety

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<v Speaker 1>and Inspection Service has a great guide at f s

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<v Speaker 1>i S dot USDA dot gov. But here's a starter

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<v Speaker 1>guide on which moldy foods to toss and which to trim,

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<v Speaker 1>because while not all moldy foods are a total loss,

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<v Speaker 1>some should be skipped. Foods that are soft and moist

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<v Speaker 1>are the most likely to be dangerous because the mold

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<v Speaker 1>may be growing deeper into the product than it appears.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you see mold on the following tassum lunch meats, bacon,

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<v Speaker 1>hot dogs, cooked casseroles, cooked grains or pasta, breads and

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<v Speaker 1>other baked goods, soft fruits and vegetables like a cucumbers,

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<v Speaker 1>tomatoes or berries, jams and jellies, peanut butter, other lagoons

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<v Speaker 1>like beans, nuts, soft cheeses, yogurt, and sour cream. Some

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<v Speaker 1>of these, particularly grain based products and certain produce tend

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<v Speaker 1>to harbor molds that are particularly insidious because, as byproducts

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<v Speaker 1>of liveing, they produce those mico toxins, which are poisonous.

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<v Speaker 1>They can give you a really bad day or even

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<v Speaker 1>contribute to diseases like cancer. While moldy cold cuts and

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<v Speaker 1>lunch meats should be discarded hard salami and dry cured

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<v Speaker 1>ham are an exception. For these items, you can safely

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<v Speaker 1>scrub the surface, removing the mold completely. For hard cheeses

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<v Speaker 1>and hard fruits and vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers,

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<v Speaker 1>the food can be consumed after you trim away the mold.

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<v Speaker 1>Be sure to trim at least an itch that's about

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<v Speaker 1>two and a half centimeters around the offending area, and

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<v Speaker 1>take care to avoid letting the knife make contact with

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<v Speaker 1>the mold. If it does, stop and wash it with

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<v Speaker 1>hot soap and water to avoid cross contamination. It may

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<v Speaker 1>be disappointing to toss out whole products, but it's always

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<v Speaker 1>better to err on the side of caution. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Debbie Swanson and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other fresh topics,

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