Where Does Walmart Meat Come From? [Not What You Think]

You can buy just about any everyday product you could want in your local Walmart store or on their website, including groceries.

So, if you like to shop for your food at Walmart, you probably want to know exactly where Walmart’s meat comes from. This is what I found out.

Where Does Walmart Meat Come From?

Until recently, most of Walmart’s meat came exclusively from meat processing plants run by such corporations as Tyson Foods Inc and Cargill Inc. However, in 2020, Walmart opened its own facility for processing its Angus beef products, to improve the quality of the meat. All Walmart red meat is sourced from North America and not China.

But what meat does Walmart actually stock, and is it good quality? Keep reading to learn more!

Is Walmart Meat From North America?

All Walmart meat (including chicken) is sourced from North American animals, whether it has been processed and distributed by a third party or by Walmart itself.

For example, in Walmart’s own processing plants, the company works with high-class suppliers to source beef from family farms and ranches in the United States specifically.

Both Tyson Foods Inc and Cargill Inc operate in a similar way. Each corporation sources, produces, and distributes its meat in North America.

However, both also export their North American meat internationally.

Is Walmart Red Meat Fresh?

Walmart promises that its meat will be fresh, offering a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee if you don’t think the meat you buy from them is fresh enough.

However, back in 2018, Walmart was consistently ranking low on the list of grocery stores and supermarket chains in terms of the freshness of its groceries, meat included.

In fact, out of 68 stores that were reviewed, Walmart ranked at number 67. This could have to do with the chemicals that were used to treat the meat at packing plants before it was put out on shelves.

Since then, Walmart has moved some of its meat-packing and distributing operations in-house.

Its money-back satisfaction guarantee also suggests that the company is making an effort to recover from such low rankings.

Is Walmart Meat Good Quality?

Again, for some time, Walmart meat was considered by some to be near the bottom of the pile in terms of quality.

Now, though, Walmart promises that all of its meat is inspected by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and that each and every steak is selected by the experts, which helps to ensure its quality.

To really be sure of the quality of the meat you are buying from Walmart, you can look out for the USDA Choice and Select labels.

Admittedly, these are only available on Walmart’s beef products. But, because only one in five beef products qualifies for such a label, you can feel more confident that you are purchasing high-quality meat.

What Meat Does Walmart Stock?

In addition to their Angus beef, which is now processed and distributed by Walmart itself, Walmart’s physical stores and website are always stocked with chicken and pork products.

You can also expect to find lamb and venison both in-store and online, as well as meat-based dog food.

While these products are processed by third-party corporations, they are displayed and sold in Walmart packaging.

This sort of supply chain has been found to cause increases in price, which could explain why Walmart is moving towards creating its own end-to-end supply chains for meat, starting with beef.

Additionally, Walmart also sells a wide range of Halal meats.

Does Walmart Sell Seafood?

You can also shop for seafood such as shellfish, frozen fish, and tinned fish at Walmart, both in-store and online at Walmart.com. Some of the seafood products on offer at Walmart include:

• Fish fillets, such as cod and salmon
• Frozen shrimp
• Whole tilapia
• Fresh snow crab
• Tinned tuna

How Often Is Meat Stocked At Walmart?

From my research, I discovered that Walmart stocks perishable groceries (including meat) on a daily basis. However, this can differ for more rural Walmart locations and also delayed fulfilments from the distribution centers.

To learn more, you can also see if Walmart still has a butcher and deli and if Walmart still sells live fish.

Additionally, if you like to shop elsewhere, don’t forget to see our other related guide on where Costco meat and Costco chicken come from.

Conclusion

Walmart sources all of its meat from North America. In fact, the majority of the meat that you buy in Walmart will be from the United States.

That remains the case whether or not it has been processed, packaged, and distributed by third parties such as Tyson Foods Inc and Cargill Inc or by Walmart itself. However, the only meat products that Walmart currently processes itself are beef.

All Walmart meat comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so you can rest assured that the meat you get will be fresh and of good quality, or your money back.