‘I Learned Something Cool‘: Woman Goes To Ground Beef Section In Publix. Then She Looks For The Tan Labels. Here’s Why

Concerns about food quality are nothing new. From “mystery meat” to bread that doesn’t seem to behave like bread, shoppers are often skeptical about what’s really on their shelves.

While not all these claims can be confirmed, the fear is justified. For example, last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued recalls for nearly 25,000 pounds of taquitos containing metal and over 167,000 pounds of ground beef due to potential E. coli contamination.

So when shoppers feel like they’ve stumbled onto a better—or fresher—option, they’re quick to share it.

That’s what happened with one Publix customer who says she uncovered something interesting about the store’s ground beef.

What Are Publix Tan Labels?

TikTok user Carly (@carylastie) posted a video filmed inside a Publix meat section, showing packages of ground beef. Her video has since been viewed over 903,800 times.

“I learned something cool at Publix today, and I wanted to share it,” she says, panning over the refrigerated section.

Carly explains that she noticed two types of ground beef: one with blue labels and one with tan labels marked as “Market.” According to her, the tan labels are special.

“Those are the ground beefs that they take—basically all the steaks that didn’t sell the night before—and grind them up in the morning,” she says. While the label lists the lean-to-fat ratio as 75%-to-25%, Carly claims it’s only an estimate since the fat content can’t be perfectly calculated.

She goes on to speculate that the grind often includes cuts like New York strips, fillets, and sirloins, depending on what didn’t sell.

“Anyway,” she adds, “just thought this is really cool. Hope you guys like this little tip.”

But Is That Really How It Works?

Publix hasn’t publicly confirmed Carly’s claim. On their website, they simply list the market ground beef as “Publix Beef USDA Inspected.”

The other labels usually signify whether it’s lean, a specific cut of beef, and more.

However, a self-identified Publix butcher jumped into the comments to clarify that “market” beef isn’t strictly unsold steaks—it also includes trimmings from the day before, which are ground and packaged with a shorter shelf life.

This tracks with broader supermarket practices. When meat doesn’t sell by a certain date, some stores will repackage or repurpose it—like using it in prepared foods or grinding it for sale with a shorter expiration window. If it can’t be used, it’s discarded.

That last step happens more often than people think. According to ReFED, a nonprofit focused on reducing food waste, about 27% of the U.S. food supply—63 million tons—ends up wasted every year. Of that, a huge portion comes from unsold retail products.

Customers React: ‘Don’t Tell Everyone!’

The comments section was a mix of gratitude, surprise, and skepticism.

One viewer joked, “Noooooooo, do not tell everyone. Now I have to go to Publix real early and hope they still have market ground!”

Another, who claimed to work at the store, offered more context. They wrote, “The market isn’t just steaks and such that don’t sell but it’s trimmings from the day previous. The meat gets 5 days, we pull it 2 days before expiration and grind it for market.”

Others had mixed feelings about the price and safety. “Publix has the freshest but it’s so damn pricey,” one user said, while another added, “I am just recovering from food poisoning that I contracted from Publix brand Italian sausage. 10 days food poisoning.”

And of course, there were the inevitable jokes. Another quipped, “Here’s another cool Publix trick; If you go literally anywhere else, you’ll pay half the price. Publix is expensive af.”

UPDATE: In an email exchange with BroBible, Carly shared more details. When asked if she noticed a difference in taste or quality, she admitted she hadn’t cooked it yet at the time of the interview. She added that she planned to make burgers that night, saying many commenters told her that the “Market” grind makes “the absolute best burgers you’ll ever have.”

As for the response from her audience, she described it as overwhelming.

“No one from Publix has reached out to me personally,” Carly said, but noted that several Publix meat cutters and butchers commented on her video, confirming that her tip was accurate.

“Most comments are divided between people thanking me for the tip, people saying it’s a lie, and people confirming it’s accurate,” she wrote, adding that she plans to film a follow-up video showing the steak-to-grind process “if Publix will approve.”

BroBible has reached out to Publix via email for more information.