Question: We received a question from a customer who found mould in some diced cheese. Some of the cheese was consumed before the mould was noticed. Are there any health or safety risks with consuming cheese with unwanted mould?
Answer: The short answer to this question is no. Generally speaking, unwanted mould on cheese is considered a cheese quality issue (as in poor flavour), and not a food safety issue. Spoilage moulds create off-flavours in cheese because they produce excessive amounts of enzymes, such as lipases and proteases, which lead to the breakdown of cheese.
While one can’t say it’s impossible, it is said that it would be rare for mould on cheese to pose a health concern.
For example, there are quite a few cheeses, such as cave aged Cheddars, where wild moulds are deliberately promoted to populate the surface of the cheese.
** Find attached an article with more information on the question of mouldy cheese.