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Original poster

Food from the supermarkets not lasting as long?

51 replies

dodeca · 19/07/2023 20:37

We’ve noticed milk from two of the big supermarkets has gone off within a couple of days of purchasing, recently. When it has at least a week left to go on the date! Today we bought a garlic bulb from one of them and opened it tonight and it’s mouldy inside

Isn’t to do with fridge temp as other stuff is alright, and when we buy milk and fresh produce from a higher end supermarket it lasts for days. Anyone else had this? Do we just need to resort to shopping more expensively?

OP posts:
PimpMyFridge · 19/07/2023 20:46

I'm finding this with some fruit and veg. Not with milk though and I recently went camping and had one in the cool box, it coped for 3 days in cool but not cold conditions.

Bowlplatesoupandroll · 19/07/2023 20:52

Stopped buying pineapples and honeydew melons from tesco recently.
Also had lots of short date items in the online delivery.

Swearwolf · 19/07/2023 20:54

Yes!! Potatoes are all soft and sprouty within the week.

thelionthewitchtheaudacityofTHISbitch · 19/07/2023 20:57

Fruit and veg is awful this year. It seems to be wet from inside so is going off quickly. I think that is due to weather.

PimpMyFridge · 19/07/2023 21:00

Brexit means a lot of farms are struggling to pick too as seasonal workers are harder to find.

HedgesNotFences · 19/07/2023 21:04

We got a new fridge this year and were amazed at how much longer food lasts. Our old fridge worked perfectly well, or so we thought, but it was old and we didn’t realise how ineffective it was.

donutosaurus · 19/07/2023 21:04

I have had awful fruit and veg and I think it is since the dates have been removed. Every bag of easy peelers/tangerines/satsumas from sainsburys has at least 1 'burst' / gone off fruit in it. I've messaged DEFRA as I now throw far more fruit away due to having gone off than I ever did before when the shops were accountable to dates. (I have no idea about their wastage due to dates though)

donutosaurus · 19/07/2023 21:05

Just thinking - have you cleaned the weird drop tray thing??

If not, it will be really quite grim and will affect the running of your fridge.

NeedToBookAGetaway · 19/07/2023 21:06

We had the same. Our fridge temp was fine but ended up renewing fridge and nothing has gone off since

donutosaurus · 19/07/2023 21:07

*drip tray

DyslexicPoster · 19/07/2023 21:08

I normally buy 4 lots of milk in one go from Tesco pr sainsbury's and they are lasting the week and longer. Where ate you buying from?

Guiltyfeethavegotnorhythm0 · 19/07/2023 21:11

Yes , this was discussed on here recently . Fruits and veg clearly past their best still being sold . Carrots going bendy days after purchase , oranges mouldy inside . Since shops have done away with sell by dates . The best way of guaranteeing fresh food now seems to be buying only in season stuff .

Pip1402 · 19/07/2023 21:13

I've noticed this with fruit and veg too. It's such a shame but I've completely stopped buying certain items now after they were repeatedly inedible.

reluctantbrit · 19/07/2023 21:13

I agree with fruit and veg, it's really difficult now as I have no idea how old the packages are now. And I try to buy in season and at least European, ideally UK.

Milk - the odd bottle, maybe it was stored not well at the store or if you order online, the van had issues?

DuesToTheDirt · 19/07/2023 21:18

Carrots! I'm sure carrots used to last for ages.

And spinach - couple of days max.

Mummypete · 19/07/2023 21:19

I bought some cod from Aldi on Sunday and the date on it was tomorrow. I opened it this morning and the smell made me heave. It was absolutely rotten.

Ive noticed potatoes sprouting as well even after just a few days when previously we’d keep them in the cupboard for weeks.

Tilllly · 19/07/2023 21:21

DuesToTheDirt · 19/07/2023 21:18

Carrots! I'm sure carrots used to last for ages.

And spinach - couple of days max.

Spinach goes all slimy if you even look at it wrong

Weloveflowerss · 19/07/2023 21:23

I thought the same thing! My bananas are off within a couple of days, I swear this whole ‘not putting the date on things to save food waste’ is actually just so they can sell the food that is nearly gone off.

CapEBarra · 19/07/2023 21:24

donutosaurus · 19/07/2023 21:04

I have had awful fruit and veg and I think it is since the dates have been removed. Every bag of easy peelers/tangerines/satsumas from sainsburys has at least 1 'burst' / gone off fruit in it. I've messaged DEFRA as I now throw far more fruit away due to having gone off than I ever did before when the shops were accountable to dates. (I have no idea about their wastage due to dates though)

This is also true of citrus fruits. At least one of them is dusty within the week these days.

LookingForRemoteWork · 19/07/2023 21:27

Weloveflowerss · 19/07/2023 21:23

I thought the same thing! My bananas are off within a couple of days, I swear this whole ‘not putting the date on things to save food waste’ is actually just so they can sell the food that is nearly gone off.

I completely agree !
I've had tomatoes that have gone mouldy (not just soft!) in a couple of days and all sorts of other fruit and veg that hasn't lasted as long as I'd expect, or as long as it used to
I think the whole "no dates" thing has sort of given the supermarkets permission to not store food properly and not restock carefully - I've see bags of apples being thrown onto displays.
I think I actually waste more fruit and veg now that I did before, when they still had dates on.
I'm betting the supermarkets have saved a packet though....

DuesToTheDirt · 19/07/2023 21:29

Tilllly · 19/07/2023 21:21

Spinach goes all slimy if you even look at it wrong

Show quote history

Smells like compost according to DH!

RuthW · 19/07/2023 21:35

I won't buy any fruit and veg from Lidl as it goes of in two days.

Tesco lasts much better.

Jongleterre · 19/07/2023 21:53

My son shops at Tesco. We rarely do but he has mentioned that the last three of his big 'shops' the food has gone off very quickly.

YarisKaris · 19/07/2023 22:12

We shop at tescos but had to bin the bananas after 3 days this week as they were mushy and the carrots were bendy after 3 days too

Guiltyfeethavegotnorhythm0 · 19/07/2023 22:16

I expect the the brexit checks at dover contribute to food being less fresh too .

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