‘I bought it today’: Shopper catches Walmart bamboozling customers into thinking ‘bad’ steaks are fresh

A shopper is calling out Walmart for allegedly duping customers into thinking meat that has turned brown is actually fresh. 

TikTok user Taylor Issac (@hipnik22) uploaded a video that she filmed from her kitchen. In it, she explains the issue with the meat she just purchased at Walmart. 

She first holds up a package of raw meat, which is still sitting in the styrofoam packaging. She appears to have several slices of eye round steak, stacked on top of each other. 

“This looks fresh, right?” she asks. To the naked eye, the meat looks fine. 

Is Walmart misrepresenting 'bad' steaks?

Issac also adds, "I bought it today," as she fishes out the packaging from her garbage can.

She proves that she bought the meat that day by showing the packaging, which clearly states a best buy date of Sept. 24. She also shows her receipt, which shows that she made the purchase on Sept. 20. 

She then begins separating the slices of meat. Unlike the first reddish-pink slice, the rest of the slices are a dark brown color, with each slice darker than the last. 

In the caption, the Walmart customer adds, “Yes, I did the ‘Press it to see if it bounce back’ test … It did NOT bounce back; only the first piece did.”

She also writes that the meat had also started to develop a film of slime and an odor. 

Is it safe to eat meat that has turned brown?

You can always use an electric nose to test the quality of your meat. If you don't have one, a sight test is one of the best ways to tell if the food has gone bad. But color change alone doesn’t necessarily indicate that the food has spoiled. 

Meat can change color due to several reasons including exposure to oxygen, changes in temperature, exposure to light, and microbial growth. Raw meat refrigerated for more than five days often turns brown. This is due to oxidization and is normal. 

However, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meat that has turned brown after an extended storage period may need further inspection. Meat with even a slight odor or a tacky feeling means it has spoiled. In this case, it should not be consumed.

Viewers said the meat was not bad

Issac’s video received 2.7 million views. But many viewers argued that the color of the meat did not necessarily mean the food had spoiled. They tried to tell her as much.

“I've gone to my local meat market (I live in beef country where it's fresh DAILY) and when the meat is stacked on top of each other, they turn gray. It's from lack of oxygen. It's fine,” said one person. 

“It’s perfectly fine. They add coloring and it begins to fade. But the actual meat is good,” claimed another. 

A professional meat-handler also joined in saying, “Butcher here! It’s perfectly fine. When meat is cut it goes through something called the 'bloom' where it gets that bright color from interacting with oxygen. When meat is layered it doesn’t get that.”

The TikToker remained unconvinced

However, Issac was not reassured by the commenters. She asked viewers to read her caption which also stated that not only was the meat brown, the smell and feel was also off. 

One person wrote, “I’m gonna hold your hand when I tell you this…. That meat is 100% still good… (masters degree in agriculture and on my university’s meat judging team).”

Issac responded in the comments, writing, “With your lovely knowledge. And please, keep holding my hand: What would you do if it was also smelly and slimy? How would you return it back to Walmart?”

“Ah!!!! Okay, I was going off of the color and we try so hard to get people to realize beef isn’t always bright red. You are 100% right to always trust your nose!! (The texture isn’t always the best indicator of rancid meat.) If it doesn’t pass the smell test usually butchers will refund you,” the commenter acquiesced. 

“Thank you! I really appreciate you,” said the TikToker. 

@hipnik22 It cut me off but idc. WTF am i supposed to do about this ?! How do i even get a refund ?!?! Wtf @Walmart ?! And yes, i did the ‘press it to see if it bounce back’ test … it did NOT bounce back; only the first piece did. And it has that start to slime and start to smell thing going too. WTTTTFFFFFF #walmart #badfood #badmeat #eyeroundsteak #steaktiktok #steak #refund #refundplease ♬ original sound - Taylor Isaac819

The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via email and to Issac via TikTok comment for further updates. 

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