Some molds cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. And a few molds, in the right conditions, produce poisonous substances that can make you sick. These are called mycotoxins. That's the problem. Some mold toxins are powerful even in small amounts.
Some toxins can survive for a long time in food.
Some aren't even destroyed by cooking. So you can't always safely scrape or cut the mold off food. These guidelines will help you in avoiding mold growth and handling the moldy food you encounter anyway. How Mold Grows Mold is a type of fungus. The spores give the mold the color you see.