Final answer:
To safely remove mold from hard cheese, the FDA recommends cutting away at least 1 inch around the moldy spot. Not all molds are harmful; some are essential in cheese making, like those in blue cheese, while others can be health hazards.
Step-by-step explanation:
The FDA recommends that when cutting away mold from hard cheese, you should remove at least 1 inch around and below the moldy spot to ensure that all potentially harmful spores have been eliminated.
Mold on cheese isn't always harmful; for example, Penicillium roqueforti is a harmless mold used in making blue cheese. However, when mold is not part of the production process, it can produce substances that are unsafe to consume. Therefore, it's crucial to cut away a sufficient area around the visible mold, as the contamination can go deeper than the surface level. Remember, soft cheeses should generally be discarded if they show any signs of mold because their structure allows for deeper and more rapid mold penetration.
It's also important to keep in mind that not all molds are dangerous. There are various scenarios where molds are safe or even beneficial, as in certain cheese production or the discovery of penicillin. Nevertheless, other types of mold, like the ones that grow in damp or water-damaged buildings, can be hazardous to health and should be handled with care.