Fern, you cannot get “food poisoning” from eating cheese mold. Potential acute toxicity in moldy cheese could only be caused by other things growing in the cheese aside from the mold, such as Staph S. or enteric bacteria, things which rarely affect cheese, or listeria, more common, but mainly in shrink-wrapped cheese. The mold could only be responsible for aflatoxins, which the body is able to tolerate in normal quantities, although it is a potent liver toxin (and it is not uncommon in mold-ripened cheeses in small concentration). So I’d imagine that if the health code prohibits use of moldy cheese of which the mold is removed, it is to guard against very uncommon but potential problems such as the bacteria and/or their toxins listed above.

As for eating non-blue cheeses, it’s just fine to cut off a bit of surface mold and eat the rest. If you can share any science behind these “roots” you speak of (perhaps there’s something in McGee’s On Food and Cooking), I’m sure you’d have many interested readers.

I had the fortune of being able to taste the cheese before purchasing, so that helped.

FWIW, Rockland Kosher Supermarket @ The Shoppers Haven in Monsey, NY has quite an impressive cheese selection. This cheese as well as many others are available for purchase by the pound. They have what they call ‘Home-Made’ gouda, as well as provolone, herbed havarti, marbled cheddar, and many other interseting cheeses. There was no one there to ask who makes these cheeses, as the guys behind the counter were not at all knowledgeable, but boy do they give nice sized samples :-)

You could buy the Makabi Saint Paulin, Mak Moli, Mak Tomi by the pound as well. I also bought a log of French goat cheese (Saint Loup), it’s not much unlike Barkanit’s Tiltan.

As the store caters to a Chassidishe crowd, all the aforementioned cheeses are Cholov Yisroel as well.