A common complaint amongst shoppers is that food labels aren’t as easy to read as they used to be.
While an ingredient list for a food product a few generations ago may have simply consisted of a short list of easily identifiable ingredients, modern food products often contain a long list of ingredients whose names most people are not aware of.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of these ingredients are known to be safe and have allowed food to remain shelf-stable for much longer than it was previously.
That said, even though many of these ingredients are safe or harmless, that doesn’t mean shoppers are comfortable with ingesting things they can’t exactly identify. And there may be ingredients in our food that some people would rather not eat.
For example, one shopper noticed that some brands of hash browns had more preservatives when compared to others, while another showed how some baked goods contain pork products.
Now, a user on TikTok has some questions for Walmart after noticing something strange about the Great Value bread he purchased at the store.
What’s weird about this Great Value bread?
In a video with over 2.2 million views, TikTok user Codey (@codey91allen) shows off a loaf of Great Value bread from Walmart. Soon after the video starts, he lays his arm across the loaf, fully depressing it.
“What happened to bread, guys? Because I do not remember bread ever being like this,” he says.
“Squishing it, it just doesn’t feel like it’s real bread,” Codey continues. As he does, the bread, which was just flattened, returns to its original shape.
“I just squished this; it should be completely demolished. Applying pressure, this comes back up,” he explains. “What is in the food that they are feeding us?”
Why does this bread spring back into shape?
There are many rumors on the internet about Great Value bread. For example, some on the internet claim that the bread does not mold, which is incorrect.
Regarding Codey’s claim, however, it’s unclear why the bread can so quickly spring back into its original shape, though the product’s ingredient list may contain some clues.
First, the product’s wheat flour can give the bread a gluten network that makes the bread more elastic.
Second, the bread contains both DATEM (Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides) and dough conditioners like potassium iodate and calcium sulfate. The former is known to improve a dough’s strength and elasticity. Dough conditioners are also used to strengthen a dough and its gluten network. These ingredients could help a loaf retain its shape.
Finally, there’s a chance that other ingredients added to improve the bread’s moisture content, such as soy lecithin, could provide the additional benefit of making it difficult for the bread to lose its shape in transport or, as Codey demonstrates, after being compressed.
@codey91allen #nohashtagsneeded ♬ original sound – Why tho
“It’s not real bread.”
In the comments section, many users were convinced that this was a sign that such a bread was unhealthy, or not real bread at all.
“We used to squeeze it into a ball and eat it, can’t do that now,” wrote a user.
“Remember how we use to have to worry about smashing the bread lol,” offered another.
“Its not real bread. You got Great Value brand,” stated a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via media relations contact form and Codey via TikTok DM.
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