curdled milk all the time, anyone else?

[viviscool]

recently we've had lots of milk go off before its use by date. We buy the four pint bottles of semi skimmed and it's often curdled before the date on bottle. Anyone else had this?

Before you've opened it?

Yes we've had exactly the same recently! The last 3 have all gone off really quickly and I've no idea why. It's not like we're forgetting to shut the fridge door or leaving them on the side, we've changed nothing about how we store them, I'm quite pleased to read it's not just us.

Have you checked your fridge temp?

Are you using it within the specified number of days after opening or just going by the date on the bottle?

Yes, we've had milk going off a lot sooner recently with no change to how we're using it. Twice recently I've warmed milk in the microwave and then had to throw it away as it had solidified 🤮

glad to hear it's not just me. It's often going off two days after opening it, when it's says 3 days on the container.

I obviously can't answer for the OP but the first thing we did was check our fridge and all 3 lots of milk have gone off really soon after purchasing and well before the date.

The most recent one for example was dated the 8th and went off on the 1st only a few days after purchasing and opening it.

I work in a food business and the milk in our big cold rooms doesn’t go off just in the fridge at home. Basically hot muggy weather and your fridge needs turning down. Also carefully on how much you are opening and closing it & how full it is!

Check your fridge temperature and make sure it doesn't need cleaning.

Apparently its supermarkets not getting chilled items onto the shelves in the required time due to staff issues. There was a programme on about it. Fresh chilled stuff should be out in a certain time and in some places staff where whistleblowing and saying it takes hours to go out.

This isn't a new thing, though.

It was like that when I worked in supermarkets a decade ago.

Either your fridge is struggling to maintain a cool temp in this weather or the supermarket chain is failing and milk is being kept out in the warm for longer than it should be between truck and in-store storage fridges etc. Not normally a problem in the UK, but definitely is when the temps are 25°C and above!

Just worth noting on the fridge temperature, the door is the warmest part of the fridge so even if the temperature is being checked on the inner shelves then there is a chance the door is still too warm. It’s difficult for the door to get lower than about 4 degrees even with the inside of the fridge being lower.

Try switching to smaller bottles, so you use them up more quickly once opened? We use two-pint bottles, and never have this problem.

I stopped using one supermarket because I kept having problems with fridge items that go off quickly, like prawns and milk. I have been there when reloading the shelves and they leave stuff off for way too long, it's always a mess in there and they just put things back on the shelf even if left out the fridge a long time

A member of your household is either or witch or menstruating. Quite possibly both.

Yes I’ve had this recently

I’ve also had veg/salad go off much more quickly than it used to

Coincides with when they started taking use by dates off a lot of items 🤔

I think the supermarket supply chain has issues

We had this, I got a couple of digital thermometers which showed at times there's a 10 degree difference between top and bottom of the fridge. Started storing milk on the bottom shelf, not in the door or the milk bottle shaped bottom drawer and that helped. And not buying Costco milk as that goes off in a day. And buying 4 pinters instead of 6.

This is my favourite response!

💖☺️🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻💖🥛🦠💖

Yes! I’m 50 and this has never happened before but in the past few months it’s happened three times.

Yep! literally threw half a bottle of milk away this morning with a date of the 16th as it tasted horrible & had gone off!

Happened the last few times too!

Yes it's been happening to me this summer (before the mini heatwave), I've had to throw away loads that weren't opened but still in date. The majority were from Sainsburys but had a couple from Co-Op too.

Get cravendale it lasts forever, we went on holiday for a week came back and are still using a perfectly fresh bottle that was opened before we went.

We've noticed this as well lately. I would assume it's the combination of all the times it's been left out in the heat lately. By that, I mean, when being unloaded at the shop, waiting around in deliveries, being put on the shelf, taken off the shelf into the trolley, driven around, sitting on the table waiting to be put away, being left on the counter 15 minutes here and there. It's just been really hot and those little exposures to high temps do have a cumulative effect.

I don't think it's the heat. Last summer it was a lot hotter and I didn't experience this and this time around the first 2 occasions have predated the warm weather we've just had.

I also store mine on the bottom shelf so I also don't think it's just an issue for those who are keeping it in the door.

It's good to see others have experienced similar.

Happened to me several times lately and I know my fridge is cold enough.