Here's Why So Many Walmart Food Products Say They May Have Traces of Fish

Fact checked by Nick Blackmer

Key Takeaways

• People on TikTok are concerned that Walmart’s Great Value private label products have warning labels stating that they may contain unusual ingredients, like tilapia and anchovies in marshmallows and maple syrup.

• Experts say that when foods are manufactured in facilities that contain a top allergen, brands can choose to disclose this by having a warning label. However, it does not mean that the food is intentionally made with this food.

• While the labeling is a little odd, you really don’t need to worry or avoid the brand unless you have a food allergy or follow a special diet.

TikTok is worried about some fishy ingredients in Walmart’s Great Value food products.

TikTok is full of videos of shoppers reacting after they noticed that some of the products, such as maple syrup, marshmallows, and dehydrated mashed potatoes, have warning labels on the packaging stating that they may contain traces of anchovies, tilapia, almonds, and other unexpected ingredients.

Understandably, you wouldn’t want to make summer s’mores with anchovy-laced marshmallows. But it’s probably not an issue. Here’s what experts say about the labeling practice.

Are There Really Traces of Fish?

On the label of many foods under Walmart’s Great Value brand, you’ll notice a warning at the end of the ingredients list that the product may contain traces of fish or other ingredients you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find in something like a bag of marshmallows.

While marshmallows that may contain traces of tilapia and maple syrup that may contain traces of anchovies would certainly be off-putting, experts say you don’t necessarily need to worry.

Elizabeth Shaw, MS, RDN, CPT, a registered dietitian and author, told Verywell that to the best of their knowledge and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s standards for food manufacturing and labeling, these additions would likely not serve as an ingredient in the food.

“They appear on the label as a caution since they may be produced on the same manufacturing line as items that do contain those foods,” she said.

Chrissy Carroll, MPH, RD, registered dietitian at Dairy Free for Baby, told Verywell that the unexpected labeling is “actually a voluntary statement that manufacturers can use to alert people with food allergies that the product is produced in the same facility where those other ingredients are handled.”

According to Carroll, other manufacturers may make their products in the same facilities that handle allergenic ingredients, but may choose not to include a “may contain” statement on the label.

“That means other brands of marshmallows might also be produced in factories that handle fish products, but without calling each and every manufacturer—you wouldn’t know for sure,” she said.

In other words, Great Value is going above and beyond by warning consumers that a product could potentially have been cross-contaminated at some point in the process. However, Shaw said that it’s unlikely that the product has definitively been exposed to the allergen during manufacturing—just that it’s possible.

Wondering why you haven’t seen these warnings on products from big-name brands?

“Trace amounts of odd ingredients could be more likely found in budget brands like Great Value, mainly if they use large, central processing facilities that make a variety of different food products,” Melissa Mitri, MS, RD, a nutrition writer and the owner of Melissa Mitri Nutrition, told Verywell.

That said, neither big-name brands nor their budget-friendly counterparts are required to add the warnings. They are, however, supposed to warn about major allergens.

Learn More: GMO Foods Will Be Labeled 'Bioengineered'

It’s About Food Allergy Labeling

Food allergies and sensitivities affect millions of people. By law, manufacturers are required to list any major allergen that was used to make foods and drinks. 

Ingredients on the list of major allergens include milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. In 2021, sesame was also declared a major food allergen in the United States.

For people with true food allergies, even eating food that has come into contact with a protein they’re allergic to (even if the food itself does not contain it) can be enough to trigger an allergic response.

If a food product comes into contact with an allergen at some point along the way, it’s called cross-contamination.

It’s not required by law, but many food companies choose to use advisory statements to warn consumers about the possibility of cross-contamination. These statements are like the ones seen on the Great Value products and typically say that a product “may contain [allergen]” or “produced in a facility that also uses [allergen].”

To be clear, the statement does not mean that the food was made with the allergen, only that it may have come into contact with the allergen.

Learn More: What Terms on a Food Label Really Mean 'Gluten'?

Should You Avoid Walmart’s Great Value Products?

If you are a Great Value brand shopper, you don’t necessarily need to join the viral social media freakout about the strange warning on the label unless you or someone you shop for has food allergies or other special dietary needs.

“Similar to someone who cannot have a product that was produced on a line that also produced peanuts due to a food allergy, someone with a fish or shellfish allergy should avoid these products out of caution,” said Shaw. “Aside from that, if you do not have an allergy, there is likely little to no harm in consuming the items in question.”

Other than people with food allergies, people who follow a kosher or halal diet may choose to avoid food that may have come into contact with shellfish and/or pork. People who follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle may choose to avoid these foods, too.

The bottom line? Most people can go ahead and get the Walmart brand maple syrup for pancakes without worrying about having an unexpectedly fishy breakfast. And for people with food allergies, the disclosure of potential cross-contamination on the label could be life-saving.

Read Next: The 9 Most Common Food Allergies