In a viral TikTok video, a mom shared the shocking label that was on her bag of Walmart bagels.
In the clip, user Peggy Bolton (@peggybolton) explains that she went grocery shopping last minute because her kids pack their own lunches, and she wanted to make sure that the food she got was as fresh as possible before they headed back to school.
“Well, I’m about to take this sh*t back to Walmart… because I want my f*cking money back,” Bolton says of a bag of bagels she bought two days prior that were already covered in fuzzy green mold spots.
“It’s not even the mold on these that I want to show you,” Bolton adds.
@peggybolton Welcome to America #Cancercausingingredients #Walmart #Ourfoodispoison #Mold #FDA #Americasfood #Cancercalifornia ♬ original sound – Peggy Bolton
Before retiring the food item, Bolton wondered if maybe the bagels spoiled quickly because they were meant to be refrigerated. When she checked the package for any information referencing refrigeration, she came across an alarming label.
“I’m used to seeing these on household products, but food? These have a California Proposition statement,” Bolton says.
The statement said the bagels can expose consumers to the chemical acrylamide, which is “known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.”
“I just did not expect to inspect that package and see a cancer warning on a bag of bagels,” Bolton explains.
Acrylamide is a chemical that can naturally form naturally from chemical reactions in certain starchy foods cooked at high temperatures, like when they are fried, according to the American Cancer Society. Certain foods—like french fries, potato chips, foods made from grains (like bread and breakfast cereals), and coffee—may contain higher levels of acrylamide.
Acrylamide is classified as a “probable human carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
“Welcome to America,” the TikToker wrote in the caption.
The United States lags behind other countries, like those in the European Union, when it comes to food quality and standards.
The New York Times reported that the EU prohibits multiple food additives that are linked to cancer and “are widely used in American foods,” like bread, cookies, soft drinks, and other processed foods manufactured in the United States. The European Union also bans several drugs that are used on farm animals in the United States and limits the import of genetically-modified food.
Commenters shared that they’ve had similar experiences with their food.
“I live in Pa and we are seeing the same thing. Bread molding within a day, veggies rotting so fast, milk going sour way before expiration date! Why?!” a top comment read.
“I live in AZ and in the last 3 weeks I’ve had to take 3 packages of meat that looks fine until u open it and the rotten smell hits u,” another person shared.
“Why is our stuff molding so fast?!?! I bought fresh berries and next day mold!” a further commenter said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Peggy via TikTok comment and to Walmart via email.
