What causes foods to spoil?
Spoilage bacteria cause foods to deteriorate, giving them an unpleasant taste, odor or appearance. For example, spoilage bacteria can cause fruits and vegetables to get mushy or slimy, or meat products to develop a bad smell. Most people don’t become ill from consuming spoiled food, as long as it has not been contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. Unlike spoilage bacteria, disease-causing bacteria do not usually affect the taste, odor or appearance of foods, making them difficult to detect.
