blackbroom
08-08-16, 21:05
I had a bad botulism obsession a couple of years ago. I'm still a bit anxious about how foods have been prepared and stored, but I've not had a serious botulism worry for ages.
But I've had an unopened pint of milk in the fridge for a few days. When I took it out today, I noticed it looked a bit misshapen, but thought nothing of it and used some of it to make peanut sauce for my pasta. But now I'm worrying about it - I'm sure if it had looked like that in the shop I wouldn't have bought it and I bought it from the corner shop, where I never do a big shop, so it can't have got squashed under other shopping.
I know (because I used to stay up until 4 in the morning worriedly researching botulism) that it's extraordinarily rare and even rarer still in perishable goods like non-UHT milk (which tend to go bad before botulism has had time to develop), but my obsessive brain has kicked in and I'm thinking if the shopkeepers had left it out in the hot sun for a couple of hours last week before putting it in the shop fridge,it could have been long enough for the toxin to develop, continuing to swell the bottle in the fridge and distort it out of shape.
Even typing this I know it sounds far-fetched, but the bottle did look odd.
But I've had an unopened pint of milk in the fridge for a few days. When I took it out today, I noticed it looked a bit misshapen, but thought nothing of it and used some of it to make peanut sauce for my pasta. But now I'm worrying about it - I'm sure if it had looked like that in the shop I wouldn't have bought it and I bought it from the corner shop, where I never do a big shop, so it can't have got squashed under other shopping.
I know (because I used to stay up until 4 in the morning worriedly researching botulism) that it's extraordinarily rare and even rarer still in perishable goods like non-UHT milk (which tend to go bad before botulism has had time to develop), but my obsessive brain has kicked in and I'm thinking if the shopkeepers had left it out in the hot sun for a couple of hours last week before putting it in the shop fridge,it could have been long enough for the toxin to develop, continuing to swell the bottle in the fridge and distort it out of shape.
Even typing this I know it sounds far-fetched, but the bottle did look odd.