This is a pretty old story, printed in Dear Abby in 2003. There was a medical journal article in 2001 about anaphylaxis (a very severe, potentially fatal allergic reaction) in an individual who ate some foul-tasting pancakes made from old moldy pancake mix.

The individual had a history of multiple allergies, including pets, mold, and penicillin.

The researchers called it an "unusual case," so let's not get too carried away here.

Completely dry foodstuffs, like dry cake and pancake mixes, don't grow mold. So it would take more than the package being old to have that problem. And once moisture gets into ingredients that should be kept dry, the product doesn't have to be over-age to have a mold problem.

My husband had an allergic reaction after putting some dried spices on pizza. I think it was the old oregano. It gave him a headache and tightness in his chest,trouble breathing.