Buyers of Great Value corn might want to check their pantries.
In a video with over 1.7 million views as of Sunday, TikTok user Peggy Bolton (@peggybolton) says cans of Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn under the Great Value label, which is sold by Walmart, have undergone a dramatic change.
First, the TikToker notes that the calorie content between the cans has doubled despite having the same ingredients listed. Comparing the two, it seems that the new cans have 6 grams of sugar per serving compared to the old, which has just 2 grams of sugar per serving. Both cans say they have no added sugar.
Second, the new cans have two new features not present on the old ones: The fact that the can is a “product of Thailand,” and the California warning label reading, “WARNING: Consuming this product can expose you to Lead, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.”
“Now it’s a product of Thailand, and what everybody’s talking about is the California warning label,” Bolton states. “Every Great Value can that I went through, this is only on the corn that comes from Thailand—so my best guess is that it’s coming from the pesticides used in Thailand.”
Finally, the TikToker notes that the “Great for You” label, which is on some Great Value products, has been removed from the can. The TikToker shows what qualifies a product for the label, which can be read here, and then assumes that the new product must no longer qualify for the label.
“You might want to check your corn,” she concludes.
Bolton isn’t the first to notice this change. A user on TikTok previously sparked discussion after making the same discovery, and a user on Reddit noted the shift about 3 months ago. Walmart did not respond to the Daily Dot’s previous request for comment regarding this change; we have reached out again via its media relations contact form for clarification.
@peggybolton #GreatValue #Corn #Pesticides #CaliforniaWarning #CancerCausingwarning #Walmart ♬ original sound – Peggy Bolton
It is unclear what caused these changes. Some on Reddit speculated that, given the lack of added sugars, the higher sugar content must come from the producers using a different breed of corn. Others noted that the California lead warning label is exceedingly common, with one Reddit thread claiming that everything from parking garages to firewood can have this label.
The TikToker responded to similar commenters in a follow-up video where she conducted her own experiment by leaving out both products and noticing no insects or animals approach either.
@peggybolton #Cannedfoods #Lead #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Peggy Bolton
No matter the reason, commenters under Bolton’s video were confused and unhappy about the change.
“They straight up said this one is not great for you!” exclaimed a user.
“This also happened to Del Monte and Green Giant. I was checking the cans at the store and noticed the calories were wrong,” alleged another.
“I’m so confused as to why in America we would even need to get corn from any other country,” shared a third. “Don’t we have tons of corn farms in USA?”
The Daily Dot reached out to Bolton via TikTok direct message.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.