A Costco shopper recently uncovered a surprising truth about Babybel cheese, realizing that the tiny red wheels sold at the wholesale giant weren’t quite the same as the ones you’d find at your regular grocery store. This discovery quickly spiraled into a much bigger conversation online, revealing a wider trend among many popular packaged products at Costco.
It began when Reddit user u/ZestyCuke noticed their Babybel cheese from Costco tasted a little off, and decided to get scientific. They grabbed a kitchen scale and weighed a Babybel from Costco against one from Kroger, a standard grocery store, to find a significant weight difference. The Costco Babybel weighed in at 23.1 grams, while the Kroger version was a slightly heftier 24.4 grams.
Per Daily Dot, the size difference wasn’t the only clue. u/ZestyCuke also pointed out that the Costco Babybel lacked the “Product of France” label found on the Kroger package. They shared their findings in a post to r/Costco, writing, “I thought I was going insane… but I just did a taste test comparison of the Babybels I got from Costco vs ones from a regular grocery store, and there’s a HUGE difference.”
Never test a cheese enthusiast
Naturally, the internet did what it does best, and social media users on the thread immediately jumped in to explain the discrepancy. In the most upvoted comment, u/Prafe clarified that Babybel actually has manufacturing plants in the United States, Canada, and France. It turns out that different production locations can lead to slight variations in a product’s taste, texture, and even size.
Following that revelation, u/ZestyCuke posted an update, “The Babybels I got from the regular store (Kroger) say Product of France. The Costco ones do not. So if you prefer your Babybels soft and creamy then be on the lookout for the Product of France distinction.” They weren’t shy about their preference, saying, “Big bummer, because now I have so many of the bad ones. Let’s be honest… the French really do know what they are doing when it comes to cheese.”
It’s actually pretty common for packaged foods produced on a large scale to have some quality and flavor variations. Depending on the specific ingredients, processing methods, and manufacturing facility, product consistency can vary.
Other Costco shoppers quickly chimed in, confirming that u/ZestyCuke’s findings were part of a larger trend at the wholesale retailer. Many commenters shared their own experiences with subtle differences in other popular products bought at Costco, like Kewpie mayo, Melona ice cream bars, Pocky, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Claussen pickles, Cheez-Its, and even Tyson chicken nuggets.
It seems that Costco often sources products based on price point, which can mean slight variations from batch to batch, especially for items produced all over the world. Hey, but no matter where you source your cheese from, according to RFK Jr, you will be safe from Schizophrenia. You might also want to avoid their rotisserie chicken while it is being debated in court.
