The Popular Grocery Chain You Should Avoid If You Want Good Quality Cheese

A select few grocery chains out there are an absolute dream for cheese lovers. Trader Joe's is known for its carefully curated assortment of worldly fromage and Whole Foods brings its fresh, organic touch to the cheese case. Even Kroger holds its own in this department, thanks to its Murray's cheese counters, fully stocked with gourmet wheels, wedges, and aged classics.

On the other end of the cheesy spectrum, there's one popular supermarket you may want to avoid if you're looking for quality cheese. In a Tasting Table ranking of 12 different grocery store cheese selections, it was Walmart that fell to last place. The problem is not so much with the retailer's artisanal cheese choices. The selection may be more limited compared to other grocery stores, but you can still find desirable picks like BelGioioso Parmesan, Kerrygold aged cheddar, and Gruyère from the Swiss brand Emmi. The issues seem to revolve around the store's own low-cost Great Value cheese.

In the ranking, we recounted tales from customers who called out the Great Value ricotta for its "terrible texture." Shoppers were also put off by the fact that the store brand's deluxe American cheese slices are now being made with a bioengineered food ingredient. The Great Value label is designed to offer affordable alternatives, but it seems to add more headaches than highlights to your cart. You're likely better off sticking with name brands or buying your cheese at a different store entirely.

Unfortunately, the Walmart cheese woes don't end with the ricotta and deluxe slices. Great Value offers many different kinds of cheese, and they seem to be of low quality all around. In a Reddit post, one Walmart customer noted that the store brand's shredded cheese was both stiff and dry, its cheese tray was rubbery, and both were flavorless. "I not sure what I paid for but I think it was imitation cheese," they wrote.

In a separate online thread, one shopper shared picture proof of a bag of moldy Great Value shredded mozzarella that was far from its expiration date. Others in the comments shared their own similar experiences. One simply said, "​​Never, ever, ever buy Great Value cheese. Any of it. Pure garbage."

All of this is expounded by the fact that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) gives the cheeses some questionable food scores. On a scale from 1 to 10, where lower means better, many types of Great Value cheese receive scores of around 6 to 7. The organization notes that the cheeses tend to contain food additives and that antibiotics and hormones may have been used in their production. The brand's parmesan is called out for its high sodium, the mild shredded cheddar has processing concerns, and the American cheese singles are classified as having processing concerns.