Oregon woman claims Acme is tinting salmon packaging to trick customers. She peels the plastic off the fish and shows exactly what is underneath

You expect the groceries you pick up at the store to look exactly the same once you get them home, but one Oregon shopper recently discovered a discrepancy that has many people frustrated, BroBible reports. Roberta Ashman, who goes by @ms.burda on TikTok, shared a video that has already racked up more than 218,000 views after she noticed something strange with a package of Acme Nova Smoked Salmon she bought at Safeway.

She claims the company is using tinted plastic packaging to make the fish appear more vibrant and orange than it actually is. In the video, Ashman films the sealed product, which clearly displays a bright, appetizing orange hue through the plastic. She then peels back the layer of packaging to reveal the actual color of the fish, which looks significantly different.

This brings up a larger conversation about how companies present their products to shoppers. It is common practice for some businesses to use techniques like placing salmon on golden boards to highlight rich colors and protect the quality of the fish during storage. However, Acme does not use these boards for this particular product, which led Ashman to conclude that the plastic itself is doing the heavy lifting. While it is a popular theory online, there is actually no concrete evidence or proof that Acme is using specific tinting tactics to manipulate how their fish looks to customers.

It is important to remember that not every color change means the fish has gone bad

Smoked salmon can undergo natural discoloration for several reasons, including simple oxidation that happens during storage. The smoking process itself can also cause the natural color of the fish to dull over time. If you are worried about whether your salmon is safe, you should look for signs like a gray appearance, a sour smell, or a slimy coating. A bit of browning, especially near the lateral line, is usually perfectly normal and does not necessarily mean the product is unsafe to consume.

Despite these technical explanations, the visual difference in the video has really fired up viewers. Many people in the comments section feel like the packaging is inherently dishonest. One viewer wrote, “They [would] rather spend extra money to [deceive] us than to spend it on the quality of the actual food.”

Another user expressed a desire for more corporate accountability, stating, “Even if it is safe to eat, why do they feel they need to lie? Just be F’ing honest with customers and transparency will become the new normal.”

The reaction has been quite intense, with some commenters even suggesting that legal action might be appropriate. Suggestions of a “class action lawsuit immediately” and accusations of “False advertising” have appeared under the video.