AIO - Can someone help me out in the comments a bit here? My roommate buys too much bread and bagels, etc. to the point where it molds, there’s clear mold in the bag, and:

Sounds like your roommate has some mental health struggles possibly. Reminds me of a food hoarder I used to know. Maybe this is how that sort of thing starts 

Since previous comments have addressed the roommate, I'll address the bread. Try refrigerating or even freezing it to make it last longer before going bad. It depends on the type of bread and the intended use, but if it's bagels or sliced bread or anything else you heat or toast anyway, there's really no downside.

They will not change. Come to an agreement with your roommate that you each purchase your own bread and can throw away your own bread when you want. It seems stupid, but their position on mold is insane.

If he eats moldy bread and gets sick, that's him living with the consequences of his actions.

I would suggest that if he is buying bread products he won't eat immediately, they should be stored in the refrigerator. We don't eat bread frequently but it lasts us a long time, sometimes up to a couple of weeks, when we put it in the fridge.

There’s very few molds that grow on bread that can make you sick, the only one that springs to mind is rope mold, which is prevalent in South Africa where fresh bread is kept hot until sold. I learned this on a bakery management course in the UK about 20 years ago so could be outdated. Plus it’s up to him what he does, he’s a big boy.

You can try explaining that if a restaurant had all that mold, it would be shut down by the health department. That he could get food poisoning, an allergic reaction, or even die from certain mycotoxins that could grow.

The problem with mold is that it's not just the pieces of food with active mold that are effected.

Mold spores will contaminate everything in the bag, and if it's not air tight it will effect nearby food as well.

Is personal mental issues do not outweigh your right to protect your physical health.

Can he freeze it while it’s fresh and take out what he will use?

Have you tried freezing the bread to keep it fresh longer? It doesn't solve the problem but it can at least reduce the waste while they figure out the root cause of why they do this.

I live near a bakery outlet and get a ton of bread products for lower than regular grocery store prices and freeze the extra loaves.

Mold will lead to breathing problems and contamination of your things. Either he gets it in check or you bring up the health concerns to the landlord. Throw it in the freezer before it gets moldy if he's not using it, but let your landlord know that he is creating an unsafe environment.

Roommate must have gone through some kind of food trauma.

I'd take a bag of moldy bread, with you to work, then throw it away at work. Don't tell them about it. Hope they don't keep track of every single bag. Put it in a bag, then put that bag, into the lunch bag or box, etc.

Don't let anyone else see you either....if you have more than 1 roommate.

Bread can go moldy quickly, especially if it's someplace that gets direct sun, or if it's on the counter above the dishwasher or some other place that gets heat. He should try taking half the package (or more) and putting it in the freezer, or just keeping it in the fridge.

i don't mean this in a snarky way but why do you even care? just let him make his own decisions and don't eat his nasty ass bread.

Yes, antibiotics are made from mold. But out of hundreds of thousands of molds, only a few are work as medicine to kill bacteria.

Bread mold can trigger allergic reactions. It tastes disgusting. If you are immune compromised or have asthma, it can make you sick. And some molds are just plain toxic to anyone. So, just because you are moldy bread once, doesn’t mean it’s safe to do it again.

You need to find a new roommate. Until then, when new bread/baked goods are brought in, freeze it. It’ll keep for a few months in the freezer.

You can get penicillin out of bread. But this us not pure penicillin. Other molds are there too.

And the penicillin will not negate the other molds!

Sorry, you can't fix stupid.

maybe they have experienced food insecurity

Leave him alone, if he wants to have moldy bread let him. Buy your own. This isn’t something you should be getting into an argument over