May in a scrape over mouldy jam advice
Theresa May has fallen foul of the food standards watchdog after advising her Cabinet to scrape mould off the top of jam to cut down on food waste. The Prime Minister’s claim that once the mould was removed, the remaining preserve was “perfectly edible” appeared to be at odds with advice from the Food Standards Agency, which warned: “It is advised not to eat food that is obviously rotten or containing mould due to potential risks from the mould.”
CELEBRITY chefs and experts were divided last night over whether it was wise to copy Theresa May and scrape off the mould in a jar of jam to eat the preserve underneath.
The Prime Minister startled ministers when she revealed her money-saving tip at this week’s Cabinet meeting during a discussion about food waste.
She told colleagues that once the mould was removed, the remaining preserve was “perfectly edible” and that food should not be binned automatically once past its best-before date.
But the Food Standards Agency raised concerns about the practice, saying there was a risk Mrs May was inadvertently eating “unseen toxins”.
A source at the agency said: “It is advised not to eat food that is obviously rotten or containing mould, due to potential risks. While it is possible that removing mould and an amount of the surrounding product could remove unseen toxins, there is no guarantee it would remove them all.”
The advice was “especially important for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, children, pregnant women and those who have a weakened immune system”.
Richard Corrigan, a chef who has been a judge on the BBC’S Great British Menu, said: “Considering there is so much sugar in jam for mould to feed on, it’s a bad idea. I would be very careful.”
Alyn Williams, chef at The Westbury in London, added: “Clean white mould is usually fine but you should avoid any black dotted moulds at all costs.
“Theresa May is of that generation with a post-war mentality like my granddad, who was proper old school. He would eat around anything mouldy. His motto was ‘waste not want not’. I think our generations are too precious.”
William Sitwell, The Telegraph’s restaurant critic, said mould could add “a certain rustic note to your marmalade”, and Mrs May’s stance showed she was “gutsy”. He added: “Some of the greatest dishes get mould on.”
Mrs May’s spokesman played down the issue, saying it was a “matter for the individual”. But Matt Hancock, the health minister, said she was right to take on the “best-before zealots”. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, “loves making and consuming jam” so much, said a source, that “it never gets to the stage of scraping or chucking”.
The Women’s Institute said: “Members are concerned that confusing date labelling can mean perfectly good food is thrown out. Many just rely on common sense.”