If in doubt, throw it away: experts have revealed the secrets of products after the expiration date

Experts have revealed which foods you can eat even if they’re moldy, and which ones will send you to the emergency room. Some foods, such as hard cheeses, can be eaten. But many types of spoiled dairy products and colorful spots on soft foods can send you to the hospital.

Food safety expert Kate Schneider told DailyMail that while she isn’t always comfortable telling people to throw away food at a time when food prices are higher than they have been in years. She says, “I’m more concerned about telling people to save potentially harmful products.”

The expert advises consumers to be vigilant for changes in color or texture, which could indicate something has changed. According to leading food experts, the general rule of thumb is to throw away food when mold appears. But some products, such as hard cheeses and chocolate, can be saved by cutting off 3 centimeters of mold around the perimeter. For example, some types of cheese are particularly prone to producing mycotoxins. Soft and semi-soft cheeses have a relatively high moisture content, which provides an environment suitable for mold growth.

Mold is a type of fuzzy fungus that grows naturally on foods and plays an important role in the decomposition of substances, or rotting. It reproduces by producing spores that can become airborne, and grows best in a warm, moist environment.

Keith Schneider explains: “Not all molds are pathogenic. Sometimes some of them release toxins, but unless you’re a mold expert, it’s hard to tell which ones are which.”

She explains: Some molds are harmless and can be removed by cutting the affected area off the food, but other molds produce mycotoxins that, at best, can cause intestinal upset and vomiting, and at worst, lead to organ damage and some types of cancer.

Failure to store cheese at sufficiently low temperatures increases the risk that fungal fluff will appear on it.

“If you have soft cheese like gorgonzola or mozzarella, just throw it away because nasty mold can produce toxins that could potentially spread through the liquid,” explains the expert.

Hard cheeses, when stored properly, can last three to four weeks after opening, while soft cheeses usually last about a week after opening the package. Yogurt, like soft cheeses, should also be discarded if mold appears.

Some cheeses, such as Roquefort and blue cheese, are intentionally contaminated with specific mold spores during the cheese production process and are harmless

Food safety experts told the British publication that foods such as cooked rice, melon and hard-boiled eggs should be eaten within a day or two of purchasing them because they can lead to food poisoning.

A troublesome type of mold known as black mold produces mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables stored in moist environments. It appears as fuzzy black spots on fruits and vegetables, most commonly tomatoes.

Exposure to these mycotoxins can lead to a variety of health problems, including breathing problems, allergic reactions, skin irritation, and in severe cases, neurological symptoms or organ damage.

The most common type of mold growing on bread appears as white or grayish fur-like spots on the surface and can spread quickly if left unchecked.

Kate Schneider added: “We are constantly exposed to small amounts of these fungi and in general the body repairs itself quite well, but when you have a large fungal mass we can end up with a higher dose than desired.”

Chocolate, which can also develop white residue, can sometimes be saved, depending on how widespread the mold spots are. The white spots are harmless, experts say, and appear when the chocolate comes into contact with moisture, which affects the appearance of the sugar crystals. An estimated 48 million Americans get sick each year from tainted food. About 128 thousand people are hospitalized and 3 thousand people die.

A common misconception about food safety is the importance of expiration dates. A wide range of products, especially milk cartons, are stamped with dates that were likely to have a few more days of best before.

“If milk is stored in a machine at 90 to 100 degrees, it may not last 7 days. If you pack it in an insulated shopping bag, you can save that date and then some. There are many variables that prevent you from choosing the exact number,” concludes Kate Schneider.