Questions From Consumers 

Here is where you can find questions that our readers have sent us! If you have any questions, send them to our lab's email that can be located on our homepage.

Question: We recently bought partially husked corn that was shrink-wrapped. Due to Coronavirus, I have been washing everything that comes in, so I took the rest of the husks off and washed the corn, and put them in a Ziploc bag. I just took out the bag and noticed a pinkish mold on the CUT edge of the corn (the rest looks totally fine, firm, no mold).  I have 3 more cobs that am wondering do I cut the kernels off and cook and will they be okay, or do I pitch them?

Answer:  Based on your description, I am afraid the mold has been growing on the corn. You saw the pinkish mold and there could be molds growing that you might not notice. The risk of getting Coronavirus on corn or other foods is minimal at this point. However, I am more worried about potential toxin produced due to the molds growing on the corn. Cooking is a good practice that kills bacteria, but it does not kill toxin, which is a chemical. I would not suggest you to continue consume the rest of the corn. For future reference, please make sure to store the fresh produce in refrigerator.

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