This seems a little excessive for pipe tobacco bloom? It doesn't look like mold at all. Anyone ever seen this much buildup? It is on Samuel Gawith Full VA Flake from 2011...
I found mold on some flakes once and they did not look at all like that. Mine was fuzzy moldy looking stuff. And mold wipes off easily. That looks like crystals to me. Is it stuck on the flake and hard to get off? If so I think you are in good shape.
That is bloom but as others have stated a rather dense one. Imo SG FVF seems to have a heavy sugary casing compared to most other Virginia flakes. When comparing it to other VAs they seem to have a light bloom whereas FVF usually has a couple of dense patchy spots. Looks like an overly applied area. Hope this doesn't incite a riot.