A Tennessee woman says she found metal flecks embedded in Pillsbury biscuit dough she bought from Walmart, and her TikTok video warning others about it has racked up over 140,000 views. Sparkle Martin, who goes by @sparkle.with.lemo on TikTok, was preparing a can of Pillsbury Butter Tastin’ Flaky Layer biscuits when she spotted tiny silver pieces scattered throughout the dough, according to BroBible.
Martin held a piece of dough up to the camera and pointed out the metallic bits. “So, as you can see, I thought everything was OK, but then I was like, ‘What is that?’ And I go to look in it, and there’s metal. There’s metal all in the biscuit,” she said. “That is dangerous. That is highly dangerous, and it’s all in it. I’m like, I’m actually shocked.”
She initially hoped the problem was limited to one piece, but found bits of silver in other pieces of dough “clear as day.” Martin concluded, “Yeah, so, won’t be eating these. But wow. Definitely wanted to inform people.” An on-screen message in the video urged viewers to check their food before cooking it.
The comment section blew up with concerned viewers. One person urged Martin to pursue a lawsuit if Pillsbury reached out. Another wrote, “FDA needs to do better they let too many things slide.” A third commenter summed up the frustration many seemed to feel: “Can someone please tell me what the heck is going on seriously with our food? I’m 56 years old and have found more weird stuff in my food in the last year than I have in my whole life.”
Some viewers didn’t blame Pillsbury at all, instead pointing the finger at Walmart, with comments like “Why do ppl still shop at Walmart? They are notorious for bad products.” It’s a reaction not unlike how quickly people take sides when a viral consumer complaint hits social media.
Martin posted follow-ups to prove it wasn’t the packaging
Martin addressed skeptics in two follow-up videos. Some viewers thought the rusty-looking spots on the cans meant the product was expired. Martin clarified that it was just from a spill. Others suggested the silver flecks were just bits of the outer wrapper stuck to the dough. To shut that down, she opened a second can on camera. While that can did have some wrapper debris attached, Martin showed it clearly wasn’t the same thing as the metal pieces she found in the first can.
The issue goes beyond one person’s kitchen. Multiple Reddit users have posted similar complaints over the past couple of years, sharing photos and videos of the same silver flecks in their Pillsbury dough. One Reddit user joked, “No wonder the roof of my mouth hurts.” In 2025, two other TikTokers went viral with the same discovery.
User @badgalprepre found metal shavings while making pizza rolls with Pillsbury dough, saying, “There are literally metal shavings in this biscuit dough. How is this OK? We’ve been eating metal.” Another creator, Marina (@marinathingz), found aluminum pieces in her biscuits and demanded $10 million from the company on camera.
Pillsbury has only publicly addressed the issue once, in a 2015 post on X responding to a customer complaint. The company wrote, “Sorry to see that! Sometimes, tiny pieces of the silver paper packaging sticks to the dough.” The brand also has a documented history of contamination problems.
In 2001, Pillsbury voluntarily recalled 30,000 cases of frozen biscuits after plastic shards were found in the dough, according to The Daily Dot. The company also recalled cinnamon rolls in 2013 over a broken piece of plastic from the plant.
Martin says she’s done buying Pillsbury products
In a direct message interview with BroBible, Martin said the discovery was personal. Her oldest son is six years old and autistic, and she said children like him are commonly reported to have lead and metal in their systems from food. “My son LOVES PILLSBURY so the fact that it is this unsafe I have decided to stop buying their products of all kind and that really broke his heart,” she said. “But safety matters.”
Martin said she opened a third can that turned out to be clean, but she still worries about what her family may have already eaten. She also said Pillsbury has not contacted her. “It’s been more than enough time for Pillsbury to reach out and they haven’t,” she said.
“Those same accidents can cause someone their life!” Sometimes it only takes one bad experience to change how you feel about a company, similar to how one bartender’s reaction completely reshaped a viral tipping debate. For Martin, the message is simple: check your food before you cook it.
