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Mould on food: cut it off or throw it away?

A green spot on the bread, white fuzz on the jam: often cutting it off is not enough. For a few foods you may remove the mould generously and eat the rest. Here is which ones.

By Richard Červenka · 5 min read · updated 10 November 2026

Typographic card with the title “Schimmel auf Lebensmitteln: wegschneiden oder wegwerfen?” (mould on food: cut it off or throw it away?).
Photo: Bärn Kit

Why the visible spot is not the whole story

Moulds spread through the air as spores. On food they grow fine threads that run through it. The Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) writes that these threads are invisible to the naked eye. Often you only see the fuzzy layer once the mould has already spread further.

Many moulds only spoil the food. Some, however, produce poisons called mycotoxins. The Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO, in German BLV) calls them toxic metabolic products of moulds and writes that even the smallest amounts can harm your health. Well-known examples are aflatoxins, ochratoxins and patulin. According to the FSVO, mycotoxins can cause acute stomach and gut problems. Taking in small amounts regularly over a long time can damage the liver and kidneys in particular. Some mycotoxins can also cause cancer.

Important in the kitchen: cooking does not help. According to the FSVO, mycotoxins cannot be removed by boiling, frying, baking, souring, drying or freezing. A mouldy strawberry does not become safe in a compote.

The FSVO's basic rule

The FSVO is clear: mouldy spots should never simply be cut away, because the toxins can also spread into parts you cannot see. Affected food must be thrown away. This happens especially fast in foods with a lot of water.

There is one exception. Products with little water, such as hard cheese or dry-cured sausage (Rohwurst), may be used further according to the FSVO if you remove the affected part generously. This applies especially when the mould is only on the rind. If such a product is heavily affected in several places, it goes in the bin too.

Cutting it off generously is enough for

  • Hard cheese in one piece: for example Sbrinz, Gruyère or Emmentaler. foodwaste.ch also advises: if hard cheese goes slightly mouldy, cut the spot away generously and use the rest. The LGL stresses “in one piece”: grated or sliced cheese has far more surface.
  • Dry-cured sausage and raw ham in one piece: for example air-dried salami or a whole raw ham. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) explicitly names whole pieces here, not sliced cold cuts.

Neither the FSVO nor the BfR gives a fixed number of centimetres. “Generously” means: rather cut away clearly more than just the visible spot.

You have to throw away completely

  • Bread: if you see mould, throw away the whole bread, writes the LGL, and that includes sliced bread. The slices next to it are often already affected.
  • Yoghurt, quark, milk and other dairy products: the BfR counts them among the foods most prone to mould.
  • Cream cheese, soft cheese and semi-hard sliceable cheese: according to the LGL, better thrown away completely.
  • Jam, jelly, compote, fruit juice: the more liquid a food is, the faster the mould spreads (LGL). Skimming off the top is not enough; the whole jar has to go. Home-made jam and jam with little sugar go mouldy more easily. Once open, keep them in the fridge.
  • Soft fruit and berries: they contain a lot of water, and the mould gets inside unseen. Do not turn fruit that has started to rot into compote or jam either (LGL).
  • Packed fresh vegetables: if mould appears in a pack, the LGL advises throwing away the whole pack.
  • Grain, muesli, nuts: throw away mouldy grain and muesli completely. With nuts, sort out the individual nuts that look wrong (BfR, LGL).

Short answers for single foods are also in our tool Haltbar oder nicht? (does it keep?).

Wanted mould: Camembert, Brie, Gorgonzola

Not every mould is a problem. Noble moulds are used on purpose when making some kinds of cheese and salami, for example Brie or Camembert. The BfR calls them safe to eat. The LGL also counts blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola or Roquefort among them. Wrap these cheeses separately so that the mould does not spread to other food in the fridge.

How to get less mould

The BfR and the LGL give these tips:

  • Store food clean, dry and cool, and do not buy too much at once.
  • Remove breadcrumbs and clean the bread bin once a week, for example with water and vinegar.
  • Clean the fridge after something has gone mouldy in it. Do not leave mouldy food standing around open.
  • Buy fruit and vegetables that are as undamaged as possible.

Where things are best kept in the fridge is explained in Organising your fridge. Bread you will not eat soon can be frozen before it goes mouldy: Freezing and thawing.

For kitchens, clubs and anyone who passes food on

The Swiss Food Act says in Art. 7 LMG (Lebensmittelgesetz): only safe food may be placed on the market. Food is considered unsafe if it is harmful to health or unfit for human consumption. So if you give away or donate food, you pass on nothing with mould, not even “just a small spot”. With hard cheese or dry-cured sausage you cut the mould away generously first, or you leave the piece out completely if you are unsure.

How to pass on food safely is explained in Passing on food safely. With the free tool übrig you go through seven hygiene questions before passing food on and keep a log. Everything stays in your browser, with no account.

This article is information, not legal advice. The BfR and the LGL are German authorities. In the Canton of Bern, the binding authority is the Kantonales Laboratorium (the cantonal food control laboratory).

Sources

Also worth reading

Haltbar oder nicht? (does it keep?)ToolOrganising your fridgeArticleFreezing and thawingArticlePassing on food safelyArticle

Text: Richard Červenka, Bärn Kit. Found a mistake? Write to hallo@uebrig.ch.