Showing the best and worst of grocery stores is a time-honored tradition online, from warning customers to check their items and ensure they have not been compromised, to suggesting grocery stores themselves are doctoring products to make them more appealing.
One butcher went through his local Safeway’s meat section, claiming that there were some items of concern immediately. Holding a package of greyed maple sausage, butcher and TikTok content creator @meatdad says the chain’s meat department did not make a good first impression, prompting a closer evaluation of the meat products on display.
“I can always tell if a meat department is good or not by the first impression, he says via voiceover. “This was not a good first impression, so it makes me want to dig a little deeper.”
@meatdad previously gained notoriety for sharing how to make DIY deli meat after seeing outrageous prices in a grocery store.
@meatdad Replying to @user532085337216 only the best!#meatdad #meattok #moneysavingtips #butchery #meatdaddy😍 #steaktok #meat #safeway #👀 ♬ Cena Engraçada e Inusitada de 3 Minutos – HarmonicoHCO
Taking a look at the fresh meat counter, @meatdad points out various issues he has with the way chicken and other meats are displayed for customers to see. Some wrapped in plastic are just placeholders, he says, while cuts like chicken breast have had their skin removed to disguise the degree to which they’ve dried out.
“This pan was never switched out, it wasn’t freshened up, not gone through,” he says in the video. “Definitely not a top-notch meat department.”
He leaves the markdown section for last, showing that some of the clearance meat cuts such as flatiron steak and ground beef have changed color, even appearing gray, or have issues with their packaging.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @meatdad, as well as to Safeway’s parent company, Albertson’s, via email.
Several viewers shared that the concerns highlighted in the video are exactly why they choose to purchase meat products from a local butcher, rather than from their local grocery chain.
“That’s why I buy my meat in bulk from our local butcher,” one commenter wrote. “Cheaper & safer.”
“And this is why I don’t buy meat in the grocery stores,” another said.
“Always buy local!” a third urged. “They take pride in providing a good product. corporations don’t care.”
Others shared that they had purchased meat products like those in the video, or seen them in their local grocery stores, and had negative experiences with them.
“We order lamb from a store on Instacart,” one commented. “The meat was frozen & the meat was rancid while still frozen. Never smelled anything like that before.”
“I went to a grocery store 2 weeks ago and majority of the beef was GREY!” another viewer shared. “I was so grossed out like why is it even on a shelf?”
“I go to my local meat market for meat,” a further user said. “Last time I got chicken from Kroger it smelled weird so I threw it away.”
