The last time I was shopping, I didn't have a coupon for Chef Boyardee, and we love cans of Mini Ravioli. Yes, the truth is out. We like canned pasta. Eeeeewwww! I know. I'm so embarassed.
Anyway.... Since I didn't have a coupon for our favorite brand, I decided to try the Great Value brand sold at Wal Mart. I bought it, took it home, then took it to work for my lunch today. What happened next is ugly. Really ugly. Gross, in fact.
I poured the can of ravioli into my bowl and heated it in the microwave. I sat at my desk with my bowl. I ate. When I was almost done, a bit down on something rubbery. Yick! I spit it out. (Such a lovely sight, I'm sure!) What I saw in my bowl looked just like...
Sit down. Hold your breath.
...it looked like a piece of skin...
After gagging, I wrapped it in a paper towel and called Wal Mart Corporate in Arkansas. They put me through to their "Great Value Ambassadors", as they call their customer relations department. I spoke with a very courteous "ambassador" who stated that I would be sent a product envelope in the mail, and that I am to put the "foreign object" into the envelope and mail it to their quality control department. There the object would be examined, and the investigation into what the object is and how it got there would take place...
...and they are sending me a coupon for a buck fifty.
Whatever - I am sick and tired of product recalls and contaminants of every sort being found in our nutrition supply. As consumers, who can we trust? What is safe to feed our children? It's no wonder diseases of all sorts, including cancers, seem to be epidemic.
Well, I let the "ambassador" know that I would be blogging about this issue today, and asking for your action in order to keep you safe. What I want you to do is look in your pantry. If you have the Great Value Mini Ravioli, please examine the batch number and expiration date. If it matches mine, please return it to Wal Mart and ask for a refund.
This is what the label on the can looks like.
The batch numbers are located on the bottom of the can. This is what you will read:
2100926700GW10582
BEST BY 09 14 11 EST794
Organic, whole foods look better and better to me each day. Gardening looks even better. Follow me on this blog as I start investigating a new way of food buying for my little family.
Maybe you'll decide to join me along the way! OR ~ if you already purchase organic, whole, local foods for your family, please comment and let's start sharing!
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Menu Maker Mom ~
Makin' Yummies. Stuffin' Tummies.
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9 comments:
That is SOOOOOO freaking gross! We switch to about 90% organic in Feb and I feel so much better.
Although writing from the UK, I share your concern about frequent contaminants in the food supply. I have got to the stage where I won't buy processed or prepared foods at all. Look forward to seeing your blog again! moy
This isnt actually Wal-Marts fault. It's conarga foods for making the food. So please do not blame wal-mart they only bought it. AND NO i am not a Wal-mrt employee. I work @ Pathmark. And that is gross. But just because you switch to organic dosent mean it will make it all better. hey look a wal-mart commercial just came on. "Save Money. Live BETTER, Walmart" their slogan is a lie...
Well, Conagra is still including "extras" in their products. I have two consecutive jars of peanut butter purchased at Wal Mart which both contained foreign objects. I posted pics here: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=381867.0
They refuse to address the problem, but did offer me #20 to shut up.
Kosher! It's quality is always held to the up most standards they also have higher standards then Organic Foods.
I was looking at this and another post (the peanut butter link from your page) and began to wonder if this "quality control" issue is not intentional? I can imagine a scenario like this:
Walmart buyer to Con-Agra (Which ALSO makes TONS of name brand foods):
"Well Mr. Con Agra, if you refuse to make these products for us at 50% of the wholesale cost of your name brand products, we will no longer be carrying THOSE products in our Wal-Mart stores".
Con Agra rep: (Realizing that his business is doomed without the market that Wal-Mart provides for his product) "Yes sir...thank you sir...anything else I can do for you sir"?
I DO like the prices at Walmart, but DON'T like the business model, particularly the explosion of "Great Value" brands in the store. I think it's dangerous to our food supply in itself! I will NEVER buy a Great Brand product.
Greg Evans
Oh...and the intentional part...maybe Con Agra is trying to cast Wal Mart brands in a bad light? Most people won't realize that Con Agra is behind the Great Value brand, maybe some bad press will drive consumers back to the name brand products?
I usually buy about 40% Great Value Foods. Recently Wal-mart was out of Tyson Grilled and ready chicken breasts. SOOO! I bought Great Value. Rubbery, watery and really not much chicken flavor. A very big disappointment. Too bad I purchased 2 bags with great expectations. Never again!
MT in Wi.
I was actually searching the web to see if someone had compiled a list of name brands that are actually being used for GV. Kinda ironic that I found your blog about GV, and the post by ahgweb about the gasket bits in the peanut butter since I decided to try a jar of the GV peanut butter today, mainly because the container is identical to the new Planters peanut butter. I always look to see if the container has an exact match with a name brand. That's my modus operandi when choosing to take a risk on a GV food products.
For the most part I stay away from the GV food products and just stick to household goods like, foil, garbage bags etc, etc.
Stephen in Texas
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