Many Americans don’t know a whole lot about where their food comes from. In 2017, the Washington Post claimed that 7 percent of Americans believed that chocolate milk came from brown cows. In the early 1990s, a Department of Agriculture study found that 1 in 5 Americans didn’t even know that hamburgers are made from beef.
While there’s a significant amount of debate about the accuracy of studies like these, it’s fair to say that many Americans’ understanding of where their food comes from, or how it is processed, is significantly lacking.
That said, we’re always curious to learn more about the food we eat. There’s a lot of information about that on TikTok. Users have shared everything from strange food discoveries to potentially misleading labels. Now, a TikToker has sparked discussion after sharing what she says she learned from a butcher at Publix.
What Should You Know About Ground Beef?
Across two videos, Carly (@carlylastie) shares some things that you might not know about Publix ground beef.
First, according to Carly, the ground beef section at Publix has an option that features a tan label. This one is called “Market” ground beef. It generally lists a higher fat content than other kinds of ground beef for sale.
“They take basically all the steaks that didn’t sell the night before and they grind them up in the morning to make the Market Ground Beef,” Carly claims. “So, it says 75/25, but that’s only because they can’t give an accurate fat content.”
“Most of the time they’re grinding up, like, New York strips and the fillets and stuff,” she continues. “I mean, they’re also grinding up the sirloin, so it just kind of depends what didn’t sell the day before.”
In a follow-up video, she adds that this is the only ground beef made “fully in-house using the steaks and their own grinder.” Everything else, she says, comes from other companies in a “3lb tube” that the store then regrinds for appearance.
Some people might be concerned about whether the ground beef will go bad. This is because it is made from unsold meat. However, Carly says one should be mindful of the sell-by date. If they don’t plan to use the meat right away, they can simply freeze it. The process of creating ground beef can make it go bad faster than other meats.
As far as which ground beef is the highest quality, she says it depends on what one is making.
“[The butcher at Publix] loves the market grind for meatloaf, burgers, and anything like that, and he said it’s definitely one of Publix’s best-kept secrets,” she notes.
Is This True?
It does not appear that Publix has made an official comment about the differences between its ground beef products.
However, Carly’s explanation matches several internet users who claim to have experience in the matter. One Reddit user, who claims he works for Publix, stated that “the lean, sirloin, chuck, and round ground meats are generally from a tube of coarse ground meats from our suppliers. We only run it through the grinder to portion it out, better mix it, and aerate it (i.e. make it fluffy and ensure good coloration).”
“For freshness, the ground meats receive a significantly shorter shelf life. So if measuring from when we open the vacuum sealed pack the ground meat will be usually be fresher, despite the closer sell by date,” the user added. “The exception to that is during the weekend, when many of the products sell too fast to keep it on the shelf for more than a day anyway.”
Another Reddit user with similar alleged experience echoed Carly’s claims about the “Market” ground beef.
“‘Market’ is a bit of a different beast, in that instead of coming in pre-ground tubes like all the rest, it’s just made from grinding up all the random scraps created from trimming/shaping roasts and steaks,” the user wrote. “I believe they label it 75/25 because 25% is the MAXIMUM amount of fat it’s allowed to have, but it is usually quite a bit less (but it’s gonna be the only one where the fat content is always slightly different because of the way it’s made).”
The Mary Sue reached out to Publix via email for clarification.
Carly shares further
In an email to the Mary Sue, Carly said the difference between the ground beef varieties is notable.
“Honestly, yes, you can taste a difference,” she states. “The market grind (the tan-label one) can vary a bit in texture and flavor since it’s made from trimmings and all different kinds of steaks and roast each day, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it can be even better than the standard pre-packaged beef because you’re getting cuts like ribeye or NY strip ground into it. That said, I tend to prefer the market grind only for things like burgers/meatloaf. When I need to bank on consistency I go for the leaner/greenwise label if I’m shopping at Publix. I am not a fan of too much fat in my meat.”
As far as the practice itself is concerned, she says she doesn’t have a problem with it.
“I actually think it’s a smart and resourceful practice — as long as shoppers know what they’re getting,” she shared. “Publix is using some quality cuts that would otherwise go to waste, and it’s often more affordable. But I do think it should be more clearly labeled and explained so people don’t assume it’s just ‘scraps,’ as well as letting the customer know these need to be used pretty much day of or need to be frozen immediately or they will go bad pretty quick. This is something that isn’t very clear to the consumer, in my opinion. Other than that, I’m glad it’s not going to waste.”
That said, she said there were some ways this system could be improved
“I’m sure there’s a reason why they don’t do this, but I wish they would mark down some of the steaks and sell them same-day instead of putting them into the market grind,” she detailed. “This would give so many of us the opportunity to buy otherwise very marked-up steaks and enjoy them! Even if they just took a quarter of what they use and marked it down for us, I’m sure it would make a lot of people happy, as one of the most repetitive comments on my posts is that people simply can’t afford the Publix pricing anymore and they are more sad about it than mad about it. A pretty simple fix for the consumers satisfaction if you ask me!”
@carlylastie Replying to @Anatolian Kitty let me know what else I should ask… they love/hate me now so damage is already done ??? #food #publix #foodtiktok #hack #creatorsearchinsights ♬ original sound – CARLY
Commenters Share Their Thoughts
In the comments section, users offered their thoughts on the meat-buying process at Publix.
“I’m buying repackaged meat from a tube? What?” a user asked.
“I just returned a 26 dollar package. It changed color and smelled sour after 1 day in my fridge. Yuck! Never again Publix,” offered another.
“Trust me this is all I buy from there and it taste so much better and it does go bad quicker,” alleged a third. “Use it or freeze within a day.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
