Molds Feeding the Food Spoilers Molds Molds are sometimes visible on foods as a fuzzy patch. Under a microscope, they look like skinny mushrooms. Molds cause foods to spoil, and many will cause illness.
Molds can live on a wide variety of food products, including fruits and vegetables.
Foods that are moldy may also have invisible bacteria growing along with the mold. Molds have branches and roots that are like very thin threads. The roots may be difficult to see when the mold is growing on food and may be very deep in the food. It's better to throw away a moldy food than to try to cut off the mold. Molds grow best under damp and warm conditions.