The Target Grocery Department Red Flag We Just Can't Ignore

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A trip to Target is the ultimate combo of errand-running and self-care. You can sip on a latte, peruse the throw pillows, and go grocery shopping all at the same time. It's a fun experience and truly seems like a shopper's paradise, but customers have pointed out a red flag in the grocery department that we just can't dismiss. The all-natural ground beef from Target's private brand Good & Gather has received quite a few negative customer reviews online for terrible quality, meaning you might be making a second stop to pick up groceries elsewhere.

Customers say the ground beef is sold way too close to its expiration date (sometimes even a day after) and that the quality is often terrible right out of the package. One customer review on the Target website said, "Bought two packages with expiration in 7 days. Got home and opened to cook with the meat. I had to throw both away due to awful smell and obviously bad!" Unfortunately, it was a sentiment echoed by several other reviews. Another customer shared their story of buying meat with an expiration date six days away: "Opened to cook the meat tonight and you could smell the sour rancidness across the house."

Subpar ground beef is one of the biggest red flags at Target because it provides insight on how the retail giant handles food safety, cleanliness, and the standard for product quality everywhere else in the store (the worst frozen burger patties come from Target, by the way). If the rest of the grocery department is maintained like the meat case, you should keep an eye out for any spoiled vegetables and rotten fruit as well.

Target has gotten a few negative reviews on other portions of the grocery department in various stores, including on other types of meat. In a June 2025 Facebook post, one customer posted a video of the chicken case at a Florida Target, pointing out dirty shelving, calling it "absolutely disgusting." A recent review on the Perdue Fresh Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breasts Value Pack said, "bad smell and it tasted weird. never going to buy chicken again from Target." Target, as a corporation, has high standards for food quality, store maintenance, and cleanliness; but according to reviews, not every store lives up to expectations. Just give everything a second glance when you're getting ready to shop to avoid buying bad beef, or anything else, from Target's grocery section.