Woman Goes To Grocery Store For Ground Meat. She Reads The Fine Print—And Becomes Alarmed At The ‘Warning’

Nowadays, people are starting to pay more attention to food safety as they check labels with a scrutinizing eye. For one woman, an label led to her notice something particular about a package of ground meat. The warning, it seems, made her leave the meat where it was. 

Liz (@getwealthywithliz) posted a video from a grocery store in Canada that received more than 148,000 views. In it, she claims a package of ground beef isn’t safe to consume because it was previously frozen. “Fresh & Frozen! Ummm… this is NOT okay,” she said via text overlay.

In her video, the content creator points out what she thought was a glaring issue with the ground beef.

“ Previously frozen,” she says, while pointing at the package. “And then look at this. Made from fresh and frozen. This one too? Ah, that’s f—– up.”

The content creator’s issue is that the meat thawed out in the refrigeration section. To her, the small label on the package means it isn’t safe to refreeze.

In the comment section, some viewers agreed with her, saying that thawed meat shouldn’t be refrozen.

“Is that why the hamburger I’m buying smells rotten as soon as I open it?” one commenter asked.

Another viewer said, “Now go down the bread aisle and see all the ‘fresh’ bread.”

Other commenters, however, said there wasn’t an issue with the disclaimer.

“This has been going on for at least 20 years in almost every store. Am I the only person who always reads the package?” one viewer asked.

Can You Re-Freeze Meat That’s Been Thawed?

While many of Liz’s commenters seemed worried about eating re-frozen meat and about the overall quality of products in grocery stores, it turns out that it’s completely safe to consume.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states, “Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing.”

The real concern, it seems, comes when food is thawed and warm on the counter. Once a package of ground beef hits room temperature, it can attract certain bacteria and pathogens that make it unsafe to eat.

Penn State’s extension explains that meat shouldn’t be thawed at room temperature for that very reason. “Never thaw meat at room temperature as the meat would be sitting in the temperature danger zone, 40°F-140°F, for too long,” the site says. “Extended time in the temperature danger zone allows harmful bacteria to grow to large numbers, potentially causing food poisoning.”

The myth that re-frozen meat isn’t safe to consume, then, isn’t true. However, that won’t stop some people from avoiding previously frozen packages in the grocery store.

BroBible reached out to Liz via TikTok direct message for comment.