Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD website
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Moldy strawberries on a flat surface

Handling Moldy Food

in Health & Diet /by Carolyn Willbanks

Seems to happen often. Those lovely strawberries you intended to eat are now covered in furry mold. Toss them out!

How Mold Grows on Food

There are many different types of molds that can grow on our food. The most common include Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Botrytis, which you see as a furry covering on your strawberries.

  1. Unlike plants, molds don’t grow from seeds. They grow from tiny spores that float around in the air. When some of these spores fall onto a piece of damp food or other materials, they grow into molds.
  2. Mold spores may cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. If you have a strong immune system, are genetically not as susceptible to mold, or are a male with reasonable testosterone levels, your body may excrete the mold from your body without any symptoms.
  3. If you are prone to allergies or your immune system is not as strong, your body may not be able to take care of it without you noticing some uncomfortable symptoms.
  4. Some molds, including the ones mentioned above, produce poisonous substances called mycotoxins that can cause serious illnesses in all people. Click here to read about mycotoxins.

Bottom Line on Handling Moldy Food

Most kinds of molds are harmful and you should always steer clear of them. Molds’ job on earth is to break down decaying matter. They produce chemicals that make food break down and start to rot. As the food is broken down into small, simple parts, the mold absorbs them and grows. So, if your food has mold on it, that means it has gone bad. Wrap moldy food and discard it in a covered trash can.

What if a Bag of Lemons or Oranges Has a Moldy Piece?

  • Toss out the bad one (using rubber gloves is a good idea). Clean the remaining fruit with a solution of vinegar and water. Let them dry completely before returning to your refrigerator. If the fruit was lying on the bottom of the crisper drawer, wash it with hot soapy water, and let it dry completely.
  • Ideally, individual pieces of fruit should not touch each other, since mold is expert at spreading through spores or extension by hyphae (like tiny root hairs).
  • Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface, which may not be readily visible. If the fruit or veggie feels too soft or mushy, the mold has likely penetrated inside it. Toss it out.

More Facts About Mold and Food

  • Keep in mind that freezing, extreme cold and heat do not kill mold. These temperature variations can deactivate spores, but when temperatures moderate, the spores can reactive and conture to grow. So don’t try to cook the foods to salvage them.
  • And, since mold can grow on cooked food, too, be careful with leftovers.
  • The best and only way to really control mold is to deny the spores the moisture necessary for germination.

More information, read about the dangers of mold in peanut butter.

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Willbanks
Author: Carolyn Willbanks

Tags: mold, mold in food, mycotoxins in food, mold spores
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/moldy-strawberries-2.jpg 768 1024 Carolyn Willbanks https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Carolyn Willbanks2019-04-16 15:48:232019-04-16 16:23:09Handling Moldy Food
You might also like
Mold-Help logo Canada: Dream House Nightmare
Lab setting with lab techs working in Laboratory Mold Exposure Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
Mold-Help logo Another NC Couple Lose Home and Health to Mold
Mold-Help logo Mysterious Outbreak at Houston School Scares Parents, Teachers
Undecorated Christmas trees for sale Every Season Has Mold Challenges - Moldy Christmas Trees?
Woman holding her head I Just Found Out that Mold Loves Corn, Grains and Nuts

Resources & Tools

  • Private Research
  • Coping with Loss
  • Spiritual Definition
  • Legal Suggestions
  • Home Care
  • Tips for Parents
  • Health & Diet

Latest Posts

  • Michigan Family Finds Toxic Mold Inside Home
  • California Winter Storms: Water Damage and Mold Exposure Concerns in California
  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only