A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after sharing images of moldy bread. She claims that she purchased the bread from Costco—and the fact that it went moldy after just a few days is actually a good thing.
In a video with over 1.2 million views as of Sunday, TikTok user Maggie Perkins (@itsmaggieperkins), who says she is a former worker in Costco’s bakery, claims that the bread is not made with preservatives. As a result, the bread gets moldy faster than other store-bought breads.
“This is bread that I bought about a month ago, and there’s no signs of mold at all,” she explains, showing a partial loaf of sliced white bread. “Costco does not use preservatives in its bread, and therefore you do need to eat it more quickly. Other bread companies do. It tastes like it.”
In the rest of the video, Perkins claims that one can slow the molding process by placing the bread in a sealed bag in the fridge. She also says that one can freeze loaves and thaw them as needed.
“I also don’t recommend keeping your Costco bread in the package that it is sold in because those packages have air holes…This is because we package bread that we made that same morning,” she adds in the caption, “Versus bread that you buy from the grocery store has a fully sealed plastic bag without preparation’s because it’s not freshly baked.”
In the comments section, many users sang the praises of Costco bread.
“I have been saying this for years, and that pumpkin loaf is amazing!!” a user said.
“I bought bagels from Costco for the 1st time ever and they went moldy within two days! I was bummed before I realized it wasn’t a bad thing,” added another.
“Moldy bread makes me happy…I know everything ain’t completely processed. But I’m mad because I have to toss it,” shared a third.
Others worried about other store-bought brands that did not get moldy as quickly.
“As a kid in the 90s, I remember bread going moldy all the time. These days, the bread is lasting for a month or more. Something changed,” stated a commenter.
“I left a loaf of bread on the counter in the window for 2 months. there was water on the plastic from the humidity- it never molded,” detailed a second. “I can’t buy store bread anymore I literally have to make it because why in the world didn’t it go moldy.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Costco via its media Request form and Perkins via email.
Update 11:07am CT, Nov. 12, 2023:
In an email to the Daily Dot, the creator shared the following: “I truly enjoy everything the Costco bakery produces and always look forward to trying their newest item!”
