Philippa Hudson, senior lecturer in food safety at Bournemouth University, admits that she would only remove a centimetre or so beyond the surface mould to continue eating a product. Stating that is just our harmless old friend Penicillium.

“But it’s important to say that not all of the Penicillium moulds are safe,” she adds. “Some of them do produce toxins and you can’t necessarily tell which are the bad ones by looking at them. It’s not as if all green moulds are good, all white moulds are good and all brown ones are to be avoided.”

How dangerous can moulds be? “Seriously dangerous,” she says. “The genus Aspergillus, which grows on peanuts and peanut products, produces a group of toxins called aflatoxins. They can cause liver cancer – and cooking won’t destroy them.”

If you want to read the full article on the dangers of mould, visit the Guardian website here.