Aldi Chicken gone off six days before sell by date

[Kittihawk]

Anyone else had this recently? I can see there is a post with 36 replies on 'bad meat from Aldi' but it is from 2015 and this site suggests I start a new post.

Gone off chicken - first time ever had this with any supermarket but the chicken in Aldi that should be fresh is way off - made the whole kitchen smell horrible. Sell-by is 29th January and today is the 23rd. We had breaded it too, and also made stock from bones, so lost all that time making it and the eggs et.c - by the time we were done ruined our evening meal. The chicken was free-range, 'specially selected', drum sticks and thighs pack, bought from the new Aldi in Stroud. Rang the general number - person was helpful. Offered a £5 voucher when politely pointing out that we had wasted a lot of other ingredients and had a ruined meal. Also alerted them for sake of other customers to possible food poison from this batch, but I think their 'system' is too slow to warn today's customers - they 'log it on the computer' - if it was me I would ring the branch and get the whole batch off the shelves ASAP (there's no public number for the store) - shows a little complacency perhaps? Also, from previous posts it seems that this might have been going on for at least four years - perhaps something they build in to their costs but at the risk of poisoning their customers.

[TheHobbitMum]

Just take it back for a replacement/refund? Every shop has the odd thing go wrong occasionally

[cloudtree]

Yep you just take it back. Or bin it and accept the refund they’ve offered over the phone. I had the same with a chicken from Morrison’s. It’s just one of those things.

[Soontobe60]

If it smelled as bad as you say, why bother cook with it in the first place? Gone off chicken smells as soon as you open the Packet!

[Kittihawk]

We were in a rush making family meal - usual chaos and you don't expect fresh chicken to be off when it says six days to use by date. It didn't noticeably smell out of the packet.

It isn't 'just one of those things' as apart from ruining the meal it is a public health issue and farms are known to cheat the 'kill dates' to get rid of bad stock - see here: www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/29/food-regulator-chicken-supplier-food-safety-dates-2-sisters-food-group

So I have also reported it to the 'Food Standards Authority' and they will hopefully get an inspection in the store. We have rights and we need to stand up for them.

[Kittihawk]

Yes but Aldi has had bad meat reports since 2014 - I can see about fifty of them just with a quick search for 'Aldi' and 'gone off meat' . They have also been involved in farms that cheat 'kill dates' for the chicken: www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/29/food-regulator-chicken-supplier-food-safety-dates-2-sisters-food-group

[Blazeisamonster]

This is why I always dig to the back when buying meat at the supermarket.

[AutumnCrow]

But it would have stunk.

When did you first notice the smell?

[Isleepinahedgefund]

I find Aldi meat goes off much quicker than from other supermarkets, I try and buy elsewhere but if not I freeze same day or use that day. I think it might be due to how they store it prior to putting it out on the shelf.

[doodleygirl]

Seriously, just take it back. I bought some chicken thighs from Sainsbury’s a few weeks ago, same thing, off before date. I just took them back. It wasn’t ideal but it happens.

[CoffeeTableBook]

[Gummybear14]

Happens to me everytime I buy meat from ALDI. My fridge is at an appropriate temperature and it's refrigerated quickly after purchase. It's only ever meat from Aldi I have this with so now I only buy meat I intend to use within 2-3days of purchase.

[MorelloKisses]

Is t it more likely that a previous customer had picked it up and put it down somewhere non refrigerated for a while a d it somehow made its way back to the fridge

[Kittihawk]

I agree some things are not worth complaining about, but I think this one is because it looks as if it is happening very often with Aldi and that they have been getting away with it since at least 2014. I'd understand with maybe a one or two day error from the use by date but this is SIX days out - which means there is something seriously wrong with Aldi's methods and / or their suppliers. What it looks like is that they are cheating their use by dates somehow which is against the law. At best it seemsthey are OK with supplying inferior and dangerous meat to people who won't complain or are too poor to have a choice? That's not good is it? Yes they will give a refund no problem because they don't want any fuss

[icantthinkofanotherone]

I shop at Aldi a lot. Also Morrisons.

The only off chicken I've found has been from Morrisons, and that has happened several times in the last 5 years or so.

I just took it back for a refund.

[GreenShadow]

Oooh. Kittihawk. A fellow Stroudie!
I must admit I visited twice within the first week or so of opening but haven't been back since.

[BackforGood]

Seems you are on a bit of a crusade - why do all that digging and research over a gone off chicken ?

Another one here though who really doesn't understand your post - if chicken goes off, it stinks (as you initially said), but if you take it out the fridge and it is stinking, then you wouldn't cook with it. If you've made meals with it, then it really wasn't off when you took it out the fridge.
I know, 'off' chicken has happened to me (twice, in the 18 odd years I've been shopping in Aldi, and we have chicken of some sort every week), and I've taken it back to the store and they've replaced it no problem. Just the same as any supermarket, they can have one where the seal has been punctured in transit or something.
It happens.
Shrug.

[Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow]

Aldi were involved with thatsupplier who changed the Use By dates. It was a few years ago now so wouldn’t surprise me if it happened again

[newlyfrugal]

Lidl is dat you?

[GingerbreadBlob]

I've had this often from Tesco. In fact, my Christmas turkey was borderline off. You can't mistake the smell of bad poultry, it's vile.

[ItsameAmario]

Newlyfrugal

[ourkidmolly]

When food is that cheap, this is why. I wouldn't buy meat from there in a million years.

[bananasandwicheseveryday]

Good for you Ourkidmolly. Not everybody is able to take your stance on it.
I've bought chicken, all meats in fact, from just about every major supermarket and local independent butchers over the last 40 years. The only one which has never sold me meat/chicken that is 'off', has been Aldi. It happens. Are you going to start a crusade against Tesco, Sainsbury, Wait to see and all the local butchers as well? Some of those sold me 'off'meats far longer ago than 2014. It is it just Aldi?
As others have said, IME, you know as soon as you unwrap it, if meat is that bad that it stinks out the whole kitchen. Maybe one of your other ingredients was bad - eggs stink to high heaven when they are off.

[RedForShort]

You were in such a rush your sense of smell and sight weren’t working whilst you breaded and made a stock? Bit weird.

When did it make the whole kitchen smell horrible? Wonder if it went off suddenly after you did all of that prep?

[MeetJoeTurquoise]

Yes we've had quite a bit of chicken from there that's off before it's use by date.

[SoupDragon]

I've never had Aldi chicken off before it's use by date. I have had it with both Waitrose and Tesco though.

I really don't understand how it could stink the kitchen out and yet you didn't notice it earlier though. Even in a rush the smell is obvious.