Question from Orsolya Csobi-Szabo
Hi Debra,
Do you consider Natamycin as a safe natural mold inhibitor used / added to most of the cheese products?
Thank you so much.
Debra’s Answer
Well, first thing is that it’s on the Whole Foods Market Unacceptable Ingredients for Food list.
You have asked me if I consider Natamycin to be safe and natural mold inhibitor.
It’s natural the sense that it material it is made from comes from nature (it’s not petrochemical).
Whether it’s safe or not is debatable.
But what I object to is that it’s an industrial additive that is only there so your cheese product does not mold. What I object to is industrial cheese products that are so old they need mold inhibitors.
Many cheeses get their flavor from mold added during the production process, such as blue cheese, which I love. But when cheese is cut and shredded and starts to mold, that’s an indicator that Nature is trying to break it down and return it to the ecosystem.
Your question brought to mind an experience I had yesterday at the farmer’s market when I ate some fresh goat cheese that the owner of the goats had just made right there at the farmer’s market. Such a gift. So delicious. That’s the cheese we should be eating. Not industrial cheese products.
