12 Meats You Should And Shouldn't Buy From Walmart

Forced labor, Inhumane animal treatment, Soggy and soft salmon. These are meats you should and shouldn't purchase from Walmart. Is there such a thing as bad bacon? There are undoubtedly exceptions to the rule that everything in life is better with bacon, but we're here to inform you that you should feel absolutely comfortable buying Great Value Naturally Hickory smoked thick sliced bacon from Walmart. Obviously, we wouldn't declare this great value product is universally beloved because, well, nothing is enjoyed by everyone. So while it's impossible to avoid a handful of negative comments, the average rating for the thick sliced bacon on Walmart's site still comes in at just under four stars as of November 2022. With hundreds of customers giving it a full 5 stars, this seems like a strong indicator of the Bacon's legitimately solid quality. A number of great Value thick Sliced Bacon fans have noted on Reddit that the product tastes the best when it's made in the oven. Since it's hard to top bacon cooked in the oven anyhow, we'd urge you to take that advice after buying this meat from Walmart. When a product is much cheaper than you'd expect, it isn't always a simple case of low quality ingredients. In fact, a common reason behind a product shockingly cheap cost can be a less than humane origin. While some may presume this solely concerns an animal's welfare, there's also the human aspect to consider. And it's those types of ethical concerns that lead us to say that you should not buy imported farmed shrimp from Walmart, as this product has reportedly been linked to slave labor in Thailand. Human rights abuses and the Thai seafood industry are nothing new. After all, as director of Human Rights Watch in Asia Brad Adams told the Guardian in 2018, forced labor is routine. The workers report being trafficked onto ships, trapped in jobs they couldn't leave, physical abuse, lack of food, long hours and awful working conditions. While it could be argued that there are plenty of questionable things lurking in the world's food supply chains, knowledge is power, and this is 1 you might consider researching before purchasing. To be perfectly honest, we're not sure whether the potentially detrimental impact of beef jerky on one's long term health means you should avoid the food entirely. Stick to the everything in moderation idea though, and beef jerky is a perfectly acceptable, high protein, long lasting snack week. What happened to us? We're going to eat pizza buckets till the wheels fell off. No, we weren't. Reviews at Walmart overwhelmingly complement the prodigiously processed meat, meaning if you're searching for an affordable and delectable beef jerky product, you won't go wrong purchasing it from Walmart. Concerns surrounding the quality and processing of Walmart's beef products have existed for some time, with The New York Times stating that issues can be traced back to at least 2003. While there's no reason to assume the same exact problems have lingered 2 decades later, it's not as though it's been smooth sailing for Walmart's ground beef items since then. In 2016, for example, Time reports that Walmart was forced to recall 90,000 lbs of its Sam's Choice Angus beef patties due to potential contamination with wood materials. Another major recall happened in 2020. This time, the problem was potential contamination with E coli. Additionally, Walmart's Great Value Ground Beef isn't even the cheapest available brand on the market. According to Cheap ISM, all these ground beef prices are actually lower on average. Since the quality and price of Walmart's ground beef struggles to match its competitors, we suggest you just avoid this meat entirely. This revelation may not cause your jaw to drop to the floor, but we're big fast food fans around here. Of course, we're also quick to try and save a buck whenever possible, so it's nice to know at least one great value product. The frozen fully cooked pork sausage patties is akin to a fast food item. Given that fans of this product describe it as comparable to McDonald's sausage patties, we're keen to recommend it to you. Seriously, they're perfect for the mornings when you want something great, but those PJS are just just too comfortable to leave. It's not simply that the Great Value pork sausage patties are similarly sized to the ones used by the fast food chain on its Sausage Mcmuffin. Devoted fans say the sausages are actually larger than other sausage patties for sale, even name brand ones. If you're ever feeling inclined to make your own homemade breakfast sandwiches, this is the real deal. In other words, the next time you're looking for the perfect breakfast meat to combine with a fried egg and cheese, we encourage you to grab a bag Bag of pork sausage patties from Walmart. Where are they going with the food? I'm starving. I only had one breakfast. Well, part of the problem with Walmart's raw meat products is the lack of on site butchers. When it comes to pork specifically, there are other issues at play. Mainly, it's that HuffPost reports that at least one farm that previously supplied pork to Walmart has been accused of animal cruelty in the past. And don't worry, don't look away. We're not going to show it. To be fair, when video of the pig's mistreatment went public in 2013, Tyson Foods, the meat supplier for Walmart at the time, ended business with the farm in question. Yet that isn't the only questionable situation uncovered when it comes to Walmart's relationship with pork producers. There's also the fact that, according to Grist, Walmart's profit share from pork sales increased 16 cents between 1990 and 2009, while the corresponding share for pig farmers dropped $0.20 over the same. While we're fans of saving a buck or 2 when we can, we're also fans of farmers and our food producers, and that schism and pricing isn't a good look and it just might ruin whatever you're making with it. Unfair and unjust. How could you be so heartless? It's true, the most enticing Great Value brand meats tend to be of the heavily processed, prepackaged variety. That doesn't necessarily mean you should avoid all fresh meats sold at the store, of course, but it does help explain why you should consider buying Walmart's Turkey and ham cold cut varieties. Perhaps the greatest aspect of Great Value Turkey and ham cold cuts such as the thin sliced honey ham or the fat free Turkey breast, is the lack of artificial preservatives and added nitrates and nitrites. Since the presence of nitrates and nitrites and food is known to potentially cause certain types of cancer, it's always preferable to prioritize products devoid of any additional man made ingredients. Most of the Turkey and ham cold cuts sold by Walmart seem to contain pretty low fat content for serving as well, making them meats you won't find yourself let down by after buying. Rotisserie chickens are a staple in modern culinary culture for a reason. Despite the sky high sodium content, present and precooked rotisserie chickens sold at various grocery stores, the fast-paced world of today means that there's a real appeal to a whole ready to eat poultry products. However, if you like to enjoy a rotisserie chicken from time to time, you should steer clear of Walmart's version of this precooked bird. When we here at Mashed ranked 13 popular rotisserie chicken options, Walmart's offering and came in dead last and there are many others who take issue with Walmart's rotisserie chicken or have tried to deter consumers from a disappointing purchase. On myrecipes.com, review of six different brand name products in 2018 ranked Walmart's chicken near the bottom. Additionally, Eat This Not That also named Walmart's rotisserie chicken as one of the worst you can buy, based on a survey of Yelp reviews suggesting consumers are just as aware of the store's lackluster product. Of all the canned meat products we've consumed, we'd be hard pressed to name one more universally versatile and tasty than canned tuna. Frankly, we've yet to encounter a canned brand that didn't produce a tasty final tuna product once it was drained and mixed with Mayo, herbs, and whatever else your heart desires. With this in mind, we weren't shocked to discover one of the best meats to purchase from Walmart is it's canned tuna. In particular, the Great Value Chunk Light Tuna in Water variety appears to be a solid crowd pleaser. Not only does it have an average customer rating of 4.5 stars as of November 2022, it also has more than 1400 full five star reviews. Even a number of negative reviews seemed less directed at the food item itself and more about it not being in stock when desired or problems with the shipping and delivery. And we get that. There's nothing worse than opening your last can of tuna and realizing there's no restock available. Some of the meats we advise you against buying are on the basis of reviews from customers who found themselves displeased with their own past purchases. Case in point, Walmarts wild caught salmon. Perhaps the biggest issue with Walmart's Great Value Wild Caught Pink Salmon is that it's not just salmon. According to the products ingredient list, it also contains the moisture retention chemical Sodi tripolyphosphate. This could explain the number of negative reviews for the Great Value Frozen Pink Salmon, not to mention its mere 2.3 star rating as of November 2022. Shoppers describe the salmon's texture as more than a little questionable, with viewers calling it soggy and soft. Considering the number of issues surrounding some of Walmart shrimp products as well, it might be advisable to rethink buying any fish at Walmart that isn't canned. So when it comes to the salmon at least, it's best to swim upstream away from this product. The next meat you should consider adding to your Walmart grocery cart is Great Value Canned Luncheon Meat. It is essentially just a fully cooked pork product and a can, making it a generic version of Spam and Spam. It's a brilliantly versatile, self stable addition to any pantry. What do you mean I don't like Spam? There's always a risk that generic products won't stand up to their name brand counterparts, but according to customer reviews, The Great Value does a pretty good job of coming close. Plus, it has an average rating of more than four stars as of November 2022, with other reviews raving about the quality, richness, and fat content of the product, not to mention the fact that it Browns up nicely in a hot skillet. Beyond the comparable taste and flavor of Great Value canned Pork luncheon meat to more well known brands, the immense affordability makes it worth considering. In fact, according to Walmart's website, the Great Value brand costs around $2.00 as of December 2022, while the same size this can of Spam cost $3.58. In this case, it's customer reviews that provide illuminating context to help explain why you should think twice about buying fresh Boneless Skinless chicken breast from Walmart. For one thing, an average customer rating of 2.1 stars as of November 2022 suggests Walmart's store brand Boneless skinless Chicken Breast with Rib Meat are a substandard product. But it's not just consumers willing to comment on Walmart's website that approve of the store's chicken, as a Consumer report survey in 2017 found that many took specific issue with the quality of the retailer's poultry overall, among other complaints. Another factor that should deter you from buying fresh chicken breast from Walmart is the fact that it may not always be, well, boneless. Some customers have reported finding bones in their package of chicken. So if you're looking for a delicious and truly boneless chicken product, you're better off looking elsewhere at what Walmart has to offer.