A woman’s TikTok has gone viral after her Philadelphia cream cheese gave her a nasty surprise. Coco (@cocogreven) showed viewers the expiration date of the cheese in the video. This showed that the cheese was still a month in date at the time of recording the video.
When she opened the tub, the contents were covered with unusual pink patches.
“Can someone tell me what happened here?” she asked via on-screen text.
The clip has amassed 930,000 views as of Saturday.
What are the pink spots?
While a handful of commenters suggested it was mislabelled strawberry/salmon flavored, the majority thought the product was far from edible.
“Pink mold!” one exclaimed. “The expiration date only applies if it’s unopened.”
“Pink mold is the worst type,” another opined.
While a third claimed, “Pink mold is usually found in showers and other places with moisture and warmth. Check your fridge temp.”
Numerous other commenters agreed that the expiration date wasn’t necessarily correct. According to them, food like Philadelphia starts to go bad a week after it’s opened.
“Once you break the seal, you’re supposed to use it within typically 7-14 days depending on the product,” a further commenter explained. “Most dairy products are like that but I feel like a lot of people don’t know that.”
Indeed, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (via the Food Republic), refrigerated cream cheese is safe to eat up to two weeks after opening. Coco didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
@cocogreven #creamcheese #2025 ♬ original sound – cocogrev 
What is pink mold?
As defined by Bethany Uribe, Certified Building Inspector from ASAP Restoration for Homes and Gardens, “serratia marcescens (aka pink mold) is a species of bacteria that thrives off organic matter and moisture.”
While “pink mold” is usually associated with bathrooms, Mold Busters points out that pink mold is also found on bread, dairy products, and meat. In terms of how harmful pink mold is, Uribe adds to Homes and Garden that “some people are susceptible to the spores of pink mold when inhaled, leading to respiratory problems, and there are other people who react to touching it, resulting in skin irritation or rashes..”
Moreover, the outlet claims that if you come into contact with the mold with an open wound, you could get a urinary tract infection.
Ultimately, it looks like pink mold is the culprit of the strange-looking cheese, but hopefully, by throwing it away, no more harm will be done. Philadelphia didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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