Reality of hidden 'toxic' mould in your food. Many blame coffee, grains and even juice for their distressing symptoms - now doctors reveal the truth

It's being blamed for a range of health problems - from itchy eyes and sensitive skin to breathing difficulties and gut problems such as bloating or diarrhoea. According to TikTok ‘holistic health coach’ @LeiahR, you may benefit from giving up certain 'mould-containing' foods, such as wine or bread Influencers are blaming mould-containing foods for many health ailments Moulds are a type of fungus and are naturally present in many foods – in fact, they are pretty hard to avoid. ‘Although people can develop allergic symptoms such as itchy or swollen eyes and allergic asthma from breathing in mould spores, this is not connected to foods, but from the environment, such as damp poorly ventilated buildings,’ says Dr Jose Costa, an allergy consultant at the Children’s Allergy Clinic in the West Midlands and an honorary clinical lecturer in allergy at Warwick Medical School. Wellness posts also suggest that some people – particularly those with an established allergy to airborne mould – may react to moulds in food they eat Indeed, if moulds were as problematic as these influencers suggest, we would be seeing large-scale issues and more patients showing up in clinics with allergies - which they are not, he says. ‘For most people, eating fermented foods contributes to good health.’ Although there are skin and blood tests for airborne mould allergy, which allergy clinics can do, Chloe Hall says there is no test for mould intolerance – if, indeed, it is even a ‘thing’.