Doctor issues urgent cheese warning - 'Just throw it away'
Eating cheese in this condition could lead to food poisoning, he warned.
None of us like wasting food but despite our best intentions, food can go bad even when kept in the fridge or freezer.
Cheese is one such food that can’t be left for too long.
Although some cheeses contain edible moulds, any mould that grows outside of the cheese after being left shouldn’t be consumed.
A doctor took to social media platform TikTok to explain why.
Speaking to his more than five million followers, NHS surgeon Doctor Karan Raj, issued a warning.
In response to another video where the creator simply cut the mould off cheese, he said: “Can you cut the mould of cheese and still eat it? Yes and no.”
He continued: “Visual mould you see on food is just like the tip of an iceberg.
“You can't see what's below the surface and in this case, the fungus is penetrating into the cheese.”
Dr Raj advised that if it is hard cheese you are dealing with you can cut the mould off providing you leave a one-inch (2.5 centimetre) safety margin.
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“So whilst you can cut the mould of hard cheeses like cheddar, parmesan or Swiss cheese, you need to do so with a safety margin and cut at least one inch around the mould in all directions,” he said.
“And only if there's a single small colony of mould growing. If the cheese is covered with mould - bin.
“And you also don't want to make any contact with the mould because you're introducing cross-contamination.”
However, this rule does not apply to soft cheeses, he stipulated.
Dr Raj said: “This cheese cutting margin only applies to hard cheeses, soft cheeses like feta, ricotta, or cottage cheese, cheeses which are sliced, crumbled or shredded and show mould - throw that away, you cheeky little food saver.
“Soft cheeses also have a higher water activity, which means that harmful bacteria can grow alongside the mould.
“If you've got mould allergies or you're immunocompromised - bin.”
He then explained the difference between edible and non-edible moulds on cheese.
Dr Raj continued: “But hang on, you've eaten mouldy cheese before and you're fine.
“There's no 100% guarantee that you'll get violently ill if you eat mould, it's just a risk-reducing measure.
“Not all cheeses are made with mould and not all moulds are edible, especially if it's spoilage mould and not part of the original cheese-making process like in blue cheese or brie.
“Even if you heat mouldy cheese that won't destroy the mycotoxins that the mould has produced.”
Eating mouldy cheese could put you at risk of food poisoning, he warned.
His advice is backed by the Mayo Clinic in the US, which states you can “cut away the mouldy part and eat the rest of the cheese” on hard cheeses.
It says: “Cut off at least one inch (2.5 centimetres) around and below the mouldy spot. Be sure to keep the knife out of the mould, so it doesn't contaminate other parts of the cheese.”