In a viral TikTok video, a woman warns shoppers to inspect their dry goods before buying after finding pests crawling under and inside of a bag of beans at the grocery store.
In the clip, Sarah (@peeliesnpetals) shares a piece of advice for all shoppers, but especially young adults who may be building out their pantry for the first time.
Sarah, who has more than a million TikTok followers, explains that when buying dry goods like beans, rice, and flour, shoppers should lift up the bags to see if there are any creepy crawlers on the base of the product shelf. She goes on to say shoppers should also check the inside of the bag for pests.
Now, of course, shoppers can’t open a bag of food at the grocery store, but she does advise them to look closely at the food in clear packaging and move the beans or grains around.
In her TikTok, there are small insects on the shelf holding bags of black-eyed peas, and when Sarah zooms in on a bag of them in her hands, viewers can see they’re crawling inside the bag too.
“These little critters are called weevils or flour bugs, and they can wreak havoc on your pantry,” Sarah says. “The important thing is to try to keep them out of the pantry, to begin with, and then you don’t deal with an infestation.”
She adds that whenever she brings home beans, rice, or flour, she puts the bags in the freezer for 24 hours to kill off any bugs and “more importantly, the eggs.”
The TikToker explains that she alerted the store manager of the issue and they were taking care of it right away. Since the one bag of beans was infested, everything on the shelf had to be thrown out, deep cleaned, and replaced. It’s unclear what grocery store the infestation took place at.
“One of the most common pantry pests. Prevention is key,” Sarah wrote in the caption.
@peeliesnpetals One of tbe most common pantry pests. Prevention is key. Check rice, beans, and grains. Freeze bags before use. #peeliesnpetals #pantry #pests ♬ Wild Thing (Re-Recorded) – Tone-Loc
The TikTok has garnered more than half a million views and over 700 comments since Sarah shared the clip yesterday. Sarah has several food-related videos, including a series about food canning, gardening, and freezing food.
Commenters were understandably freaked out by the information in Sarah’s video.
“New fear unlocked,” one person wrote.
“Oh my god. Now I feel like stuff is crawling all over me,” another said.
“Just dropped my phone went straight to my pantry and checked the beans I bought earlier today!” a third shared.
Others were grateful for Sarah’s advice.
“I don’t think to inspect at the store. I’ll definitely start doing this!” a commenter said.
“I am so glad this popped up on my FYP. Thank you,” another wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sarah via email.
