Mold in Mehadrin Shredded Mozarella Cheese, now its garbage

amother

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:09 pm

In preparation for a Chanukah party, I cooked pasta, added a container of ricotta cheese, then after I added the Mehadrin Mozarella Cheese (dated January 24, that I just a few minutes before, bought in a big BP Supernarket) to everything else, I saw black spots and the I noticed larger clumps of mold, after all my work, and all the ingredients already in the tin, its all going in the garbage.

OMG. What a waste.

I discovered the clump when I turned over a black dot, that I poriginally thought was spices. Its clearly large pieces of mold.

WWYD?

amother

Peach

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:12 pm

Dump it. A kaparah. I've had it with other brands and now I make sure to check in the store that it's fresh and there's no moisture in pkg.

amother

DarkGreen

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:13 pm

Same as you, toss it. But I always shake the cheese around in the bag to look for mold before buying.

amother

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:13 pm

amother Peach wrote:

Dump it. A kaparah. I've had it with other brands and now I make sure to check in the store that it's fresh and there's no moisture in pkg.

Package looked perfect! Theres no way to spot it until you empty the entire package,

amother

Bergamot

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:16 pm

Unfortunately I've had this before, all different brands. It has nothing to do with the brand, it has to do with how the distributor and he store handled it, meaning it was no properly refrigerated at all time. I would toss it. I always smell the cheese too because sometimes it's off even if there's no mold.

amother

Winterberry

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:20 pm

I store shredded cheese in the freezer.
Once when I had a huge 15$ pack with mold, the store gave me credit for it.

amother

Daphne

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:22 pm

I’d scoop all the cheese off and toss, I’d still use the ricotta cheese and pasta.

I had that happen to me recently and I’m in Lakewood. I can’t remember which brand shredded cheese it was. (Dh likes to buy whatever is on sale)

amother

DarkGreen

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:23 pm

amother OP wrote:

Package looked perfect! Theres no way to spot it until you empty the entire package,

There's a part of the bag you can see through. Just shake it around around until you see most of the cheese. You can usually see if there's mold when you do that.

amother

Burntblack

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:31 pm

Ugh. I only buy the big clear bag so I can see everything and store it in the freezer.

amother

Ecru

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:33 pm

It happened to me with different brands, so frustrating! The store gave me credit for it.

amother

Mocha

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:36 pm

Also happened to me, and I also noticed it happening if it sits in my fridge for a week. So now what I do is always store this kind of cheese in the freezer so it extends the shelf life forever.

amother

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 9:37 pm

amother Winterberry wrote:

I store shredded cheese in the freezer.
Once when I had a huge 15$ pack with mold, the store gave me credit for it.

It was in my house maybe 5 minutes, so it has nothing to do with the custiomer.

And what about the container of ricoitta cheese and jar of sauce I wasted?

Oy..

Chayalle

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 10:18 pm

I stopped buying ready shredded cheese years ago, for exactly this reason too many times.
Instead I buy a big Muenster cheese (looks the same as the tab stack American cheese, except it's not sliced, and it's not American cheese). I cut it into 5 or six chunks, place each in a ziplock bag, keep what I need in the fridge, and freeze the rest, defrost as needed. And I bought a milchig grater.

If you try this you will never go back to pre-shredded cheese. It tastes so much better. My spoiled kids (LOL) tell me this if I ever try buying pre-shredded, there are no takers....

amother

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 10:47 pm

Chayalle wrote:

Maybe its good, but Muenster isnt Mozarella.

mfb

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 11:22 pm

For the future I’ve given it back to stores and gotten credit.
Maybe save the bag and show the picture to the store.
These bags can be expensive

amother

Amethyst

Thu, Dec 07 2023, 11:25 pm

I had this with a different cheese and I called the store up…they said I would have to bring it back to the store for a refund.
I wasn’t shleping to the other side of town for that so I never got my refund…
Like the store is in the wrong, and I have to shlep in for their mistake?

mfb

Fri, Dec 08 2023, 12:08 am

amother Amethyst wrote:

Store has to return to company to get a refund for themselves

LittleDucky

Fri, Dec 08 2023, 2:51 am

amother OP wrote:

Maybe its good, but Muenster isnt Mozarella.

We have done the same with mozzarella.

I had it once when the store claimed I swapped my moldy cheese for an old bag that was sitting in my fridge and it couldn't be the one listed on my receipt dated 30 minutes prior to my return. I was shocked but they didn't believe me... for a long time I refused to buy cheese from that store but if I do these days I shake the bag around and check for anything green or black. Sad I have to do it but apparently quality control isn't great (whether from the store, the manufacturer or how it was delivered/shipped).