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Nobody likes to waste food. For most of us, watching our food go off before we have a chance to eat it makes us feel guilty. Some of us might even tried to salvage what we can – like scraping off the moldy parts of the bread and then using up the rest.

It’s all safe once the mold is gone, right? Actually, this is not entirely accurate. Apparently, there is no “clean” part to a slice of bread if there is already mold growing on it. Even the smallest of spores can point towards potential disaster.

Photo: flickr/Lynn Friedman

Most of us are aware that the mold that appears on food is a type of fungus. When it comes to whatever they stake their claim to, these fungi actually run deeper than the eye can see. For example, the mold that grows on your bread can actually go much deeper than surface-level as they tend to grow hyphae, which are like roots that can easily spread quite quickly across soft foods – such as bread. While some molds are safe to consume, like the ones that appear on blue cheese or in soy sauce, there are others that can actually make you sick.

Photo: CANVA

Even if it’s only one slice that has gone moldy, it is more than likely the entire loaf has been infected, even if you can’t see it. The mold that is visible is the fungus that has made it to the reproductive stage, meaning that it will be spreading spores throughout that will inevitably take root in other parts of the bread.

It is nearly impossible to tell whether or not the mold on your bread is a harmless type or not, that is why it is better to just chuck it out.

Photo: CANVA

According to the World Health Organization’s website, “The effects of some food-borne mycotoxins are acute with symptoms of severe illness appearing quickly after consumption of food products contaminated with mycotoxins. Other mycotoxins occurring in food have been linked to long-term effects on health, including the induction of cancers and immune deficiency. Of the several hundred mycotoxins identified so far, about a dozen have gained the most attention due to their severe effects on human health and their occurrences in food.”

While it’s never nice seeing your bread go to waste, it is definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Check out the video below:

Did you know about this already? Have you ever eaten the “clean” part of the bread? Let us know!