Is spoiled sausage safe to eat?
Quick Answer
No
Eating spoiled sausage can lead to foodborne illness, causing symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
What Is It?
Spoiled sausage refers to sausage that has gone bad, often characterized by a change in color, smell, and/or texture.
How to Tell
- Change in color: Spoiled sausage may turn grey or brown.
- Foul smell: Spoiled sausage often has a sour, rancid, or moldy smell.
- Change in texture: The sausage may become slimy or sticky.
Why It Can Be Risky
Consuming spoiled sausage poses several health risks, primarily due to the potential presence of harmful bacteria.
- Food poisoning: This can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
- Botulism: This is a rare but potentially deadly illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.
Safe Method?
Always cook sausage thoroughly and consume it before its expiration date. If you’re unsure whether a sausage is spoiled, it’s best to err on the side of caution and discard it.
Can You Just Cut It Off?
If only a small part of the sausage appears to be spoiled, it’s still not safe to eat. Bacteria can spread throughout the sausage, not just on the surface.
Safe Alternatives
If you find that your sausage has spoiled, consider alternatives such as fresh meat, poultry, or plant-based proteins.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate sausage at 40°F or below.’, “Use or freeze sausage by the ‘use by’ date on the package.”, ‘Store opened sausage in a sealed container to prevent cross-contamination.