A TikToker is raising the alarm about a Great Value bagel pack she purchased at Walmart after discovering they lasted way past their expiration date.
Some time after returning home after a trip, Kristen (@kanddplus3) realized she had a six-pack of Great Value bagels lying around.
“Eight weeks ago, we got these bagels. Expired August 12,” she says in a clip, before opening up the package and showing viewers how completely fine the bagels looked. The video was posted on Sept. 14—essentially a full month after the “best by” date on the packaging.
“There should be mold all over these bagels,” she continues. “Not one of these has a speck of mold on it. When should bread get mold? Like, six days, right?”
How long should bagels last?
Freshly baked bagels last for around five days. Pre-packaged bagels contain preservatives to keep them shelf-stable, in part so they don’t grow moldy before they can be sold—something that has prompted plenty of debate over the possible impacts they might have on consumers’ health.
In her TikTok, which has been viewed over 59,600 times, Kristen also suggested preservatives were the reason the bagels had managed to survive in a seemingly edible form for so long. But to her, this was a cause for concern, prompting commentary of “this isn’t normal” and “WTF are they putting in our food?”
@kanddplus3 Really though, this isn’t normal #mold #usafood #americanfood #youarewhatyoueat #bagels ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
Consumers share concerns over preservatives
Many viewers felt similarly to Kristen, sharing their own concerns over shelf-stable items they felt had lasted far longer than made sense.
“I had hot dog buns that weren’t moldy after like 2 months,” wrote one viewer.
“Left a loaf in my camper for 8months…no mold and looked like I just got them,” another recalled.
One commenter noted that she had the same issue as Kristen did with Great Value bagels, writing, “We had them opened for about three months and never saw the first sign of mold.”
Another viewer claiming to be from Germany acknowledged that they’d been thrown by how long food products last in the U.S.
“German here, coming from grocery retail, since I’m in the US I keep saying it’s not normal that any food here stays thaaaaaat long ‘good,’” they wrote. “Most of the food in the US is banned in Europe.”
“I remember when bread barely made it 7 days before it was covered in mold,” wrote one commenter. “Milk even last longer now so they are doing something bad to our foods.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kristen via TikTok comment and Walmart via the contact form on their website.
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