A TikTok video of a woman discovering an insect on a cauliflower head she bought from Walmart has gone viral. The customer said that’s the reason she doesn’t shop for produce at Walmart, sparking debate.
Walmart is a go-to for millions of shoppers across the country. That’s thanks to its competitive prices and vast selection of items.
However, not every shopping experience leaves customers satisfied. Recently, one shopper’s unsettling find in Walmart’s produce section has gone viral.
The video was posted by TikTok user @funnyforreel on July 7. It opens with an on-screen caption that reads, “I knew there was a reason I don’t shop produce at Walmart.” The footage shows a cauliflower head that is partially submerged in a pot of boiling water. An insect is crawling on top of it.
The insect, with its distinctive pincers at the rear, appears to be an earwig.
@funnyforreel I dont see cooking again for me in the foreseeable future 🤡 what even is that?????? #walmart #produce #what #fyp #fypp #fypシ゚viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ sonido original – Alan Por el Mundo
Viewers are unsurprised
Since its posting, the video has garnered over 1.1 million views. Many users are going to the comments section to share their reactions.
One user remarked, “This may be new to you, but produce is grown in the ground, and in the ground are all kinds of insects.”
Another commenter added, “This can happen with produce bought at ANY food chain.”
A third user questioned the original poster’s preparation methods, asking, “Are people not soaking/washing vegetables?”
To this, @funnyforreel responded, indicating that they did wash the cauliflower but hadn’t noticed any insects until after they placed it in the pot.
Insects and produce go hand-in-hand
Unsurprisingly, It’s not that uncommon to encounter insects or insect parts when buying produce. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations explicitly allow for a wide variety of insects to make it into food.
According to the Food Defect Levels Handbook, “it is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects.”
Unavoidable defects in produce can range from small blemishes and discolorations to the presence of mold, rodent dung, insect parts, or even small insects themselves.
In another viral story, a woman discovered an infestation of small bugs in her organic broccoli from Costco, despite the bag indicating that the produce was triple-washed.
The Daily Dot reached out to @funnyforreel via TikTok comment and to Walmart via the media relations contact form on its website.
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