To Eat or Not to Eat: Your Mold Guide

This is the mold guide you need to ensure you never get sick from moldy snacks again!

When Mold is Okay to Eat

Think hard foods when you think about mold. If a food is hard or firm, then it is most likely safe to eat, even if there is a bit of mold on it. What you want to do is simply snip or cut off the moldy portion completely before consuming the food. Some examples of “firm foods” include crunchy veggies like carrots and hard fruits like apples. Besides fruits and vegetables, you can also cut the mold off of dried meat and fish as well. According to the mold guide, firmer foods make it more difficult for mold to seep in and spread. Therefore, you can avoid getting sick from the mold while still eating the affected food. Also keep in mind there some foods, like cheeses, are meant to be a bit moldy. Blue, gorgonzola, Roquefort, and camembert are just some of the moldy cheese that we like to eat.

When to Throw it Away

So now that you know what you can eat in terms of moldy foods, how about the things you need to throw away? Soft foods as well as leftover meals are highly susceptible to mold contamination, and should be eaten within a short time frame to avoid the mold infection. If you find mold on your bananas, peaches, bread, deli meat, and other soft foods, then you need to throw the entire thing out. It just isn’t worth it in terms of getting sick and affected yourself. The thing with soft foods is that even if you can’t visually see it, the mold has penetrated much farther into the food than meets the eye. That moldy bit on the edge of your bread has probably seeped into nearly the entire loaf! Be aware!

Prolonging Foods’ Shelf Life

Okay, now how about talking a bit about how to prolong the shelf life of your foods so that you can enjoy them more with the risk of a mold attack? Freezing foods is a great way to keep them edible for longer. Soft fruits can last up to 3 months frozen, while harder fruits and veggies can last up to a year. Your meats will last about 3 months, with the exception of chicken, which can hold out in the freezer for 9 months. Desserts can last about 2 months, and drinks will go on for about 3. These same foods will last between 4 and 7 days in the refrigerator. Many fruits can be set on the table, but your vegetables and meats will do best in the fridge or freezer. Happy eating!