Walmart customer claims its Great Value butter syrup contains anchovies: 'There's no butter...'

Walmart had earned trust among generations owing to the deals that it offers, and shoppers grew to rely on its promise of high quality at lower prices. But recently, several consumers have been raising important questions and calling out false advertising by retail chains on social media. One of them is Paden Ferguson (@padiano), who has taken up the responsibility to warn the masses about dubious ingredients in food products. He has created a whole series featuring food products from various retail outlets that claim to have a specific ingredient but are missing or have been made with a substitute, according to DailyDot. Ferguson recently reviewed Great Value Butter Flavored Syrup from Walmart and uncovered that it contained anchovies, a type of small, oily fish. “All right, y’all, I’m back. Great Value, you’ve got some explaining to do,” he said at the beginning of his investigative clip. He then proceeded to show the back of the syrup bottle, highlighting the ingredient list, “There’s no butter in the butter-flavored syrup, but there might be anchovies,” he remarked. 

The label on the butter-flavored syrup featured corn syrup, water, cellulose gum, caramel color, and sorbic acid, among other ingredients. Additionally, a bold text displayed that it also contained traces of milk, wheat, soy, eggs, and anchovies. However, many TikTokers did not see an issue with the contents; they merely reasoned that the product was made in a facility that involved the production of items containing the tiny fish, and the label was just warning people against allergens. “It means that they process those items in the same factory and can’t guarantee no cross-contamination,” @kaylanbacon explained. "May contain" on any product just means it's processed in the same facility as products that use those ingredients. It's for cross-contamination," @mxe718 pointed out. 

Ferguson told the publication that he didn't expect his little educational series to go viral, but he promised to come out with more related content in the near future. “Sure, there have been a lot of hilarious comments, but as you have seen, several people with extreme allergies never even thought to check these items,” he said, before adding that he would “continue this investigative series.” He continued by explaining how his brief adventure had made him more aware of his health by enabling him to spot mediocre food. “This experience has absolutely made me want to take a closer look at the ingredients labels. Sure, you may save a dollar or two buying the store brand, but is it worth the lower quality ingredients?” he asked.

Calling it one little change at a time, he went on to counsel the populace about questioning the brands for not caring enough about food safety, especially the ones suffering from food allergies. “And how many people can’t actually buy a name-brand product? They will be impacted the most. I encourage everybody, especially those with allergies, to read the label of everything they consume. In addition, many store brands offer a money-back guarantee. So if you have an allergy, and didn’t notice it before. I would encourage you to try and return it to the store regardless of the amount of time it has been!”

Bon Appétit reported that 95% of the time, the small oily fish are used to flavor most of the food items. Anchovies are secretly added into decadent dishes without being traced since they are melted thoroughly before use, and hence don't add any distinct flavor or texture to the food item.

For more updates like this, follow Paden Ferguson (@padiano) on TikTok