How safe is mouldy food to eat?

This is a Public board

Moderator: Global Moderator

How safe is mouldy food to eat?

Postby annie » 22 Oct 2014, 07:45

British families throw away about seven million tonnes of food and drink every year, enough to fill Wembley stadium to the brim. Most of it is beyond its sell-by date, but how much could be safely eaten, asks Michael Mosley.

I've agreed to feast on a range of foods that have gone beyond their prime, guided by mould expert, Dr Patrick Hickey.

I realise it is going to be an unusual lunch when Hickey passes me a disposable contamination suit to wear. Before tucking in he also warns me that we will not be eating any foods that have passed their "use by" date. To do so would risk serious food poisoning.

With "best before" or "sell by" things are more flexible.

Our first course was some ageing cheddar. As he cuts away the mouldy part (being careful that the knife doesn't get contaminated by mould) he assures me the rest is safe to eat. Cheddar and parmesan are dry cheeses and because mould needs moisture to thrive, it doesn't normally penetrate far below the surface.

Some cheeses, of course, are deliberately infected with fungi. Penicillium roqueforti gives blue cheeses such as stilton and roquefort their flavour.

With most soft cheeses, however, unless the fungus has been deliberately introduced, the presence of mould suggests infection not just by unwelcome fungi but also harmful bacteria, such as listeria or salmonella. If that happens, throw it away.

Next, he pulls out some bread covered in small bits of white-and-blue mould. He assures me that it will be fine, toasted, once the mouldy crusts have been cut off. "The moulds don't go deep," he says. "The time you really need to be worried about bread is when it has black bits on it." I decide to pass.

Then he digs out some long-forgotten vegetables from the back of a fridge. The courgettes and carrots are covered in a horrible slime, which Hickey tells me is caused by bacterial colonies growing on the surface. Could I boil these up for soup?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29701768
"If you did," he says, "you'd probably develop terrible stomach ache in a couple of hours, followed by stomach cramps and diarrhoea"

So best thrown out
User avatar
annie
Hero Member
Hero Member
 
Posts: 34023
Joined: 21 Aug 2006, 21:19
Location: Lancs

Re: How safe is mouldy food to eat?

Postby JaneJ » 22 Oct 2014, 09:13

go90

I always use my nose.

if it doesn't smell right I don't use it.

i have had things in date go off so the good old hooter is far better a marker of good or bad foods!!
User avatar
JaneJ
Hero Member
Hero Member
 
Posts: 4913
Joined: 01 Dec 2010, 16:34

Re: How safe is mouldy food to eat?

Postby wendy » 22 Oct 2014, 13:44

what a brilliant topic.
we throw away too much stuff.
User avatar
wendy
Administrator
Administrator
 
Posts: 59286
Joined: 05 Aug 2005, 23:00

Re: How safe is mouldy food to eat?

Postby debzsanderson » 22 Oct 2014, 13:47

go90
User avatar
debzsanderson
Hero Member
Hero Member
 
Posts: 2231
Joined: 13 Apr 2011, 17:54
Location: West Sussex


Return to Carer to Carer, help and advice

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 732 guests