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From: ed@mtxinu.UUCP (Ed Gould)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Mold on swiss cheese slices.
Message-ID: <427@mtxinu.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 2-Jul-85 16:33:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtxinu.427
Posted: Tue Jul  2 16:33:39 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Jul-85 06:08:16 EDT
References: <675@spuxll.UUCP> <522@rtech.UUCP>
Reply-To: ed@mtxinu.UUCP (Ed Gould)
Organization: mt Xinu, Berkeley, CA
Lines: 22

>> I just bought an 8 oz package of sliced swiss cheese.
>> When I opened it, I found the upper edges all covered with mold.
>> Does anyone know if this signifies that the cheese is or is not
>> safe to eat?  Doesn't it signify that the cheese was mis-handled
>> somewhere, like perhaps being left without refrigeration?
>
>Some molds are safe to eat, and some are quite toxic.

Generally, the molds found on cheeses are the same molds that made the
cheese.  The molds themselves may not be safe to eat, but it's safe
to trim them off the cheese and eat the unmoldy parts.  Care should be
taken handling the mold - and in general when dealing with moldy foods.
Molds give off spores which can grow in the body - especially if
inhaled.

On the other hand, packaged cheese shouldn't be moldy when purchased.

-- 
Ed Gould                    mt Xinu, 2910 Seventh St., Berkeley, CA  94710  USA
{ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed   +1 415 644 0146

"A man of quality is not threatened by a woman of equality."