When it comes to figuring out whether something is still okay to eat, college students typically turn to their noses. Much like their cavemen ancestors, they smell a food item and then determine if it is safe to eat.
The only problem: 90 percent of the time their nose doesn’t know.
Seriously, someone spent money proving this fact.
A survey of more than 6,000 college students published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that “young adults, particularly white men, engage in risky eating behaviors” by consuming undercooked animal products, which carry risks of illness.
College students are generally cash-strapped and have limited cooking skills. This combo often results in them making poor choices when it comes to food.
For example, according to the survey, most college students said it was just fine to eat moldy bread as long as they cut off the fuzzy patch first.
Wrong answer.
“Once you’re able to see mold on bread, it means there’s quite a lot of mold,” food safety experts note. “It’s indicative that there’s mold on other slices, just not at the level you can see it. Why jeopardize your health on a slice of bread?”
For the record eating moldy bread can cause painful stomach cramps, diarrhea and/or vomiting. Food experts suggest discarding moldy bread and baked goods, because of their porous texture.
Ditto for dairy products like yogurt, which can easily spread mold. Soft cheeses with high moisture content — including those that are shredded, sliced, or crumbled -– are also susceptible to mold and bacteria.
Another question posed to the college co-eds was: “Should you eat pizza that has been sitting out on the counter overnight?”
That’s like asking college kids whether they’d skip class to see their favorite band perform live…
Of course!
The bad news for pizza-loving college students: Experts say that perishable foods should not be left out for more than two hours. Anything left at room temperature for longer should be discarded.
Food experts recommend refrigerating leftover pizza, especially if it contains exotic ingredients such as smoked salmon or grilled eggplant because of bacteria.
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