Moldy Cheese – to Eat or Not to Eat, That Is The Real Struggle

Okay, picture this: you buy a beautiful chunk of Parmesan cheese that you intend to eat during the week, but for some reason, you can’t eat it right away, so you put it in the fridge. Now, after a couple of days when you think of grating it over a lovely bowl of pasta, you take it out only to find that it has developed ugly looking mold that makes you go eww! It’s fluffy, bluish-green, and spotty all over, which gives you a bit of a dilemma.

Business Insider | Cutting off the moldy bits of a chunk of cheese to eat the remaining could be risky

You don’t want to throw away the expensive cheese that you just bought, and you, of course, can’t eat it as is. You think of taking the middle road – remove the rotten part and eat the rest of it.

Now, before you go all holier than thou, many of us would actually do that. And that’s where this article comes into the picture. If you’re going to eat even a little part of cheese that’s gone bad, you should know the following:

Read – Preventing and Solving Moisture and Mold Problems in Your Home

What can happen?

Though it may be extremely rare, some types of cheese mold can produce toxic substances that may make you very sick – one of such toxic substances has even been linked to liver cancer! Secondly, for many people, inhaling mold while chewing causes breathing problems and allergic reactions. And in the worst case of all, you may accidentally eat mold, which contains fungal toxins!

Pexels | Experts say it could lead to allergic reactions, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, etc.

What symptoms you may develop after

If you’ve accidentally eaten mold and are feeling sick, you could develop different kinds of symptoms. According to WHO, the consumption of or exposure to the toxins in moldy cheese can cause diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, internal bleeding, abdominal pain, and more. Moreover, mold sometimes (not always) indicates the presence of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

Read – What Are the Symptoms of Food Poisoning?

Is it really that bad?

If you’re wondering if something drastic might really happen to your body, let us assure you, most likely it wouldn’t. The above mentioned scary things could unfold if the cheese is really old and you’re really unlucky. Heck, many of us sometimes eat slightly moldy bread, and nothing happens, right? Plus, some mold is used in the production of cheese, so it’s there anyways!

Thought Co | But there are only rare chances of something like this happening. In most cases, your body might not react to moldy cheese at all

To give a final word

The bottom line is that not all molds are harmful to the body, but experts say this is not worth the risk, especially if you have a weak immune system. So, if you see mold infecting any soft food, even if it’s just a speck, you should assume that the entire meal is tainted. To avoid spreading the mold in such cases, put that food in a bag and dispose it off. Don’t smell it to see if it’s “good,” as inhaling mold spores can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems.