No it isn’t safe to consume cream cheese that has been left out overnight. According to Foodsafety.gov you should throw out cream cheese that has been above 40 degrees for over four hours. Bacteria can start to grow after 2 hours of room temperature exposure on cream cheese.

Temperature: Do not leave cream cheese at room temperature for over two hours, as bacteria rapidly grows between 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, and goat cheese must be refrigerated for safety. As a general rule, hard cheeses such as cheddar, processed cheeses (American), and both block and grated Parmesan do not require refrigeration for safety, but they will last longer if kept refrigerated.

Answer: Cheese can typically sit out at room temperature anywhere from 4 to 8 hours, depending on the type, and remain safe to eat. That said, your cheese may start to dry out and otherwise go downhill in appearance after four or five hours of sitting out at room temperature.

But remember that soft, ripened cheeses are made with the help of bacteria.) So if you’re being extra cautious, follow the USDA guidelines that recommend you toss perishable foods, including soft cheese, that have been left out at room temperature for longer than two hours.

According to Sarah Hill, Manager of Cheese Education and Training for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, cheese can be left at room temperature for up to two hours, as can all perishable foods.

Cheese will dry out when left in open air, especially in a warmer room, and start to look crusty and crumbly. “After eight hours on a cheese board, cheddar will likely not have a lot of bacterial growth, but it won’t look appealing to eat,” Brock explains.

Cheddar has a dense and creamy texture but doesn’t ooze, although some cheddar will become soft and oily if left out of refrigeration too long.

Know when to say when: Shelf lives vary from cheese to cheese. Once opened, hard cheeses like cheddar and Swiss will stay fresh three to four weeks in your fridge, while softer varieties like ricotta, Brie and Bel Paese will hold up for about one to two weeks.

“If you do eat a food past the expiration date [and the food] is spoiled, you could develop symptoms of food poisoning,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Summer Yule, MS. The symptoms of foodborne illness can include fever, chills, stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

Dangers of eating moldy cheese Molds can carry harmful bacteria, including E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and Brucella, all of which can cause food poisoning ( 5 , 6 ). The symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea.

Cheese: It smells like sour milk. If you spot mold on a hard cheese, it’s generally safe to cut off the moldy part and eat the rest, since the spores likely will not have spread throughout the cheese. Another sign that a cheese has gone bad is a smell or taste of spoiled, sour milk.

Food poisoning symptoms can begin as quickly as four hours or as long as 24 hours after eating contaminated food. People who eat the same contaminated food, say at a picnic or barbecue, will usually get sick about the same time.

Once opened hard cheese is safe to eat for six weeks. The types of cheese, such as gruyere and gouda, that fall between the hard and soft categories, can be kept in a fridge for two to three weeks after they have been opened.

Stored properly, an unopened packet of hard cheese like parmesan or cheddar can be kept in the fridge for between two and four months or eight months in the freezer, according to food website Tasting Table. Once opened, hard cheese is generally safe to eat for six weeks.

Cheese. If you think about how cheese is made and aged, you might be more apt to believe it’s the kind of food that doesn’t always go bad after its expiration date. Even if there is a little mold growing, consuming “expired” cheese can be safe — as long as you cut off the mold and it still smells alright.

Bad cheese can have Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and Brucella present in it and if you consume such cheese then it can cause many foodborne illnesses especially food poisoning which is characterized by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever.

Cheese can be kept frozen indefinitely, but for best quality, use the cheese within 6–9 months.

Cheeses you shouldn’t freeze:

• Brie.
• Camembert.
• Stilton.
• Cream cheese.
• Low fat versions of cheese.