The United States has a variety of safety regulations to ensure that nothing too gross makes its way onto our plates.
That said, sometimes, things slip through the cracks. The internet is full of stories of people finding gross things in their food—woodchips in bread, bugs in their salad, worms in their steak, and more.
You might think that if you buy fresh produce, you’ll be immune from some of the worst of these problems. However, as one shopper recently learned, that isn’t always the case.
What’s Inside This Onion?
In a video with over 417,000 views, TikTok user Amber (@allthingsambur) shows herself looking disgusted.
“Oh my God, I want to barf so bad,” she starts. “I just cut into an onion, and look at this s—. Oh my God.”
Amber then shows the onion. While the outside of the onion appears intact, the inside appears molded, with some parts of the onion having turned shades of red and maroon.
“I just got this from Walmart, like, a grocery delivery a few days ago. Like, they look alright,” she says, showing off the rest of the onions. The onions shown in the bag appear intact. In a follow-up video, Amber demonstrates that this was the only onion affected by this issue.
Still, she says, “it really doesn’t matter cause I’ll probably never eat an onion again.”
In the caption, she adds, “Noo Walmart pls don’t do this to me,” tagging Walmart Canada. “how can I eat an onion again.”
A Common Onion Ailment
It appears that Amber’s onion was affected by something called “Bacterial Soft Rot.” This is when an onion effectively rots from the inside out.
As explained by Utah State University, this rot tends to spread from the neck down to the interior of the bulb. This makes it hard to detect until after harvest.
Regarding its cause, the answer is simply bacteria. Pectobacterium carotovorum usually enters the onion through the top “neck” or through a weak spot in the onion’s skin. From there, the bacteria can begin feeding on the onion’s inner layers.
In the process, the bacteria produce enzymes that can appear to melt the plant tissue. Consequently, the inside of the onion becomes wet, slippery and, occasionally, brown and red instead of the typical white.
Onions affected by this issue should not be eaten—not that they look particularly appealing. Instead, if one should dispose of the onion, then examine nearby onions for issues. They should also thoroughly wash their knife and cutting board before proceeding with any cooking.
Finally, they can contact the store from which they purchased the onion. From there, the store can examine other onions for similar issues and potentially provide a refund.
Commenters Are Disgusted
In the comments section, many users expressed revulsion at the sight of the onion.
“The most my onion has done is grow green onions out the top, what is this,” said a user.
“This is why I don’t buy food from Walmart,” declared another.
“Everyone complaining about walmart and saying it’s your fault for shopping there but im sorry, this should not be a thing anywhere you go,” stated a third. “nowhere should be selling rotting, rancid produce. people should be able to shop there and not have to worry about stuff like this.”
@allthingsambur Noo Walmart pls don’t do this to me 😭 @Walmart Canada how can I eat an onion again lol 🤦🏽♀️
BroBible reached out to Walmart Canada via media contact form and to Amber via email.