‘A breeding ground for Listeria’: Customer blasts Dollar General for leaving ice cream out at room temperature

A viral TikTok video has shed light on the alleged mishandling of perishable products at a Dollar General store. 

The video, posted this week by Bri Sizemore (@bri_sizemoree), reportedly showcases melted ice cream left unrefrigerated in one of the stores, raising concerns about potential health risks.

In the video, the TikToker demonstrates the melted state of the ice cream by softly pressing the plastic containers, which easily bend under the pressure of their hand. Accompanying the video is an overlay text with a warning, which reads: “This is dangerous… When ice cream melts it creates a breeding ground for bacteria, such as Listeria. The bacteria can cause severe illness…”

@bri_sizemoree @Dollar General I know you’re short staffed but maybe it’s time to add storage freezers to keep parishable products safe until someone can stock them. #dollargeneral #foodsafety #foodsafety101 #icecream #psa ♬ Creepy Scary Sound - Novia Nisa

In the description of the video, the TikToker directly addresses Dollar General, saying: “@Dollar General I know you’re short staffed but maybe it’s time to add storage freezers to keep parishable products safe until someone can stock them.”

Left at room temperature, ice cream can quickly become a problem. As biomedical sciences expert Amreen Bashir told Today: "Ice cream melts fairly rapidly at room temperature and the milky, sugary, liquid concoction is a perfect petri dish for bacteria like listeria, essentially the second time you dig into the tub."

With over 334,200 views and counting, the video has gained significant attention, prompting other users to express their concerns about Dollar General's storage practices.

“They Pay Too Little for the amount of work they expect you to do, It's like running the entire store yourself I've been told by employees,” one user wrote.

“I've gotten pizza with mold from there before. They literally did not care one bit,” a second commenter added.

Related:

• Dollar Tree worker shows the things she has to clean as only member of her department
• Dollar General worker says she’s going to close store after being only one to show up to work
• Dollar General employee says they reduced her hours to 10 per week

The Daily Dot has reached out to Dollar General PR via email, and to Bri Sizemore via TikTok direct messages for comment.

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