Checking
Stored produce in store
Green or sprouting potatoes contain solanine and should not be eaten by people or by pets, so throw them out. Do not eat any stored produce that has gone mouldy or rotten.
- Where to get help
- NHS 111, or your GP. Your vet, Animal PoisonLine, or the Veterinary Poisons Information Service.
One rotting item spreads fast to its neighbours, so checking regularly and removing the one bad apple saves the rest of the store.
When
Every week or two right through the storage period, from autumn into spring.
How
1) Look and smell for soft, weeping or mouldy items and remove them straight away. 2) Check potatoes for rot, greening and sprouting, and rub off any early sprouts. 3) Check onions and garlic for soft necks and grey mould. 4) Check apples one by one and take out any turning brown. 5) Keep the store cool, dark, dry and airy, with produce raised off the floor.
Notes
Green and sprouting potatoes should not be eaten. Keep apples and potatoes in separate stores, as apples speed up sprouting.