Walmart’s Great Value traditional basil pesto may not be worth every penne for those allergic to shellfish.
TikTok user Paden Ferguson, 31, from Tulsa, Oklahoma — whose account is devoted to reviewing food labels — stunned viewers with a clip pointing out that the chain’s pesto comes with an advisory that it “may contain traces of anchovies, sardines, tuna, and mussels.”
“There’s something fishy about this pesto,” he said, holding up a jar inside a Walmart store. The 11-second video, posted earlier this month, has netted 23,000 views.
Ferguson flips the jar on its side and reads the label: “Contains milk, eggs, cashews, and pine nuts.” Then he reveals the “fishy” ingredients the product may contain.
“Why? Why is this in here?” he asks in disgust, captioning the video, “Also, they put it on the other side of the jar.”
The Post has contacted Walmart for comment.
Meanwhile, Ferguson told The Post on Tuesday: “I am blown away by the support and following I have gained since starting this series about food labeling.”
“The biggest takeaway I have had is that many people do not read food labels when they don’t expect a potential allergen to be present,” he added. “I would encourage everyone to read labels even in products you might not expect, like pesto sauce.”
Ferguson says he has not been contacted by Walmart in response to the TikTok.
In the comments section of his TikTok, several users hypothesized that Great Value’s packaging contains the warning because “everything Great Value is made in the same factory.”
“I think Walmart uses one machine to make every single product,” one person guessed.
“Probably made in the same factory as Caeser dressing,” another surmised.
Someone else tried to reason: “I assume their food is made all in the same facility. They may even have weeks where they clean the machines and switch out production.”
Another grunted: “Wouldn’t think to check that for shellfish allergy.”