Woman says Walmart is selling two different versions of Great Value corn — then she took a closer look

Walmart has been a retail chain trusted as one where customers can grab good quality products for lower prices compared to other brands, and for that, it even launched the Great Value line. However, the rise of social media has dented this perception, and the brand has recently been called out on TikTok for declining quality standards on several occasions. The mistrust for Walmart’s Great Value brand was sparked again as consumers found out that the label was selling two different versions of 'canned corn'. One creator, Peggy Bolton (@peggybolton), created an uproar with a video in which she claimed that one of the versions could contain potentially deadly chemicals. 

In the video, the creator showed her viewers that Walmart was selling two different versions of the same Great Value product. She showed that they had entirely different labels on their packaging as well. “The fact that so many of us have both cans of corn in our pantry, says that this change happened pretty recently," Bolton said.

She then explained that while the cans looked the same, there were some subtle differences in the labels. “First of all, the calories doubled,” she said showing that the normal can contains 45 calories and the other had 90 calories. "Almost everything in the nutritional labels doubled," Bolton added. She then read out the ingredients list which said “corn, water, salt," on both cans. However, in the second can with 90 calories, the label clearly mentioned that it was "a product of Thailand". This was followed by a "California Warning" which according to the creator was an indicator that it had pesticides and chemicals that may be used in Thailand. 

According to The US Sun, it is a Proposition 65 warning, that informs people if a product carries a chemical that could cause cancer, birth defects, or other harmful consequences. Bolton further showed that the brand had removed the "It’s Great For You" label from the second can sparking further speculation.

With a screenshot of the company’s website on her screen, Bolton explained that the “Great For you” label is an indicator of good nutrition, and it is added only to products that “met rigorous nutrition criteria"  from the "2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Institute of Medicine (IOM).” “So, you might wanna check your corn,” Bolton warned in the end, cautioning viewers that the foreign-sourced can could contain cancer-causing chemicals.

Walmart's response

A Walmart spokesperson confirmed to CBS affiliate WBNS, that the brand was selling two different versions of Great Value canned corn. It was clarified that the company needed to outsource the product to keep up with the rising demand. Thus, when the same product comes from different suppliers it sometimes requires different labeling.

“In order to ensure adequate supply of important everyday items, sometimes it is necessary to source from different suppliers to meet the customer demand,” the Walmart spokesperson told WBNS. According to the news outlet, the warning label is applied on cans due to the different packaging or production process. While the labels are only required in California, such cans show up in other states as well, WBNS reported.

For more updates and videos, follow Peggy Bolton (@peggybolton) on TikTok.