Is anyone else noticing groceries don't last as long in the fridge any longer?

[dickthegrouch]

I'm having to toss a lot more food which has gone bad, even within its best- or use-by date.
Bread, milk, salad vegetables, even sliced meats to go with the salad, all have gone mouldy within days of purchase.
My fridge is working perfectly.
I'm not happy about it.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. I know that for a two person household things like a loaf of bread is too much food, half of it goes

in the compost due to freshness dates so I wish they made half loaves for like70% of the price of a full loaf, that way they make their profit and we save a couple bucks.

[Srkdqltr]

9. Put half in a good wrapping in the freezer. Toast before using.

[Eliot Rosewater]

11. We do that sometimes but I like my idea better

[unc70]

19. They do make half loaves

My local Harris-Teeter has a large variety of breads in half loaves from multiple brands (e.g. Sara Lee, Arnold's, Pepperidge Farm, Natures Own).

[UpInArms]

2. It's like everything is on the hairy edge of bad

All dairy products seem iffy

[gab13by13]

3. I do organic

they don't last as long because there isn't any Roundup on them.

[dickthegrouch]

6. That's funny

Another friend said that organic veggies are actually lasting longer.
Basically it's become worth the uplift in price (especially from Whole Paycheck) to that friend since they're wasting less.
My experience is similar to others that, living on my own, I'm wasting somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 of everything that I can't freeze. That gets expensive quickly.

[mwmisses4289]

4. yes.

It seems like within hours.

[Freethinker65]

5. I have found whole milk lasts way longer than reduced fat

Even when opened. We now buy smaller quantities too (half gallons vs. gallons) if the sell by date is less than one week away.

We typically freeze any bread we know won't be consumed within a couple of days. While I hate throwing away moldy bread, at least I know is isn't full of preservatives. Most breads shouldn't last very long unless they are very dry.

Produce seems to be lasting about the same as usual, but I do check the berry cartons more often before I buy for any looking past their prime. Had a few cartons of fresh berries go bad before I noticed. (And yes, I also do freeze berries).

[yellowdogintexas]

13. yes, and half & half and cream will last longer than milk

The sell by dates on cream are about 6 weeks out.

[Diamond_Dog]

7. Yes we have noticed this and I thought it was just our refrigerator

Which is only 3 years old.

Cheese in particular seems to get moldy a lot faster.

Hint from Taste of Home magazine: wrap your cheese in wax paper first, then put in a zip-top bag. It works!

[True Dough]

18. My wife does that with cheese

She swears by it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. At this point in my life,

trombones years old and living in an independent living facility, I am buying almost no food. I did purchase a loaf of bread a couple of days ago, and I'll be freezing what's left in a few more days.

[Mark.b2]

10. I look for expiration or best buy dates on everything I buy...

I cant bear the thought of eating out-of-date food. I am continually surprised at the amount of items I find that are expired. I think grocers know they can get away because most people are oblivious.

I was buying comte a couple weeks ago and looked at five packages before I found one that hadnt expired. I took the five expired ones to a gal working counter, and you would have tought I had a banana growing out my nose by the way she looked at me. I’m guessing she put them back out to sell.

[nuxvomica]

12. Some foods may be older by the time they get to the store

I've noticed that the "buy local" items usually last longer. During the COVID lockdown period, I would buy a lot of fat-free milk in one shopping trip and I checked the expire dates carefully. The more expensive organic milk actually had expire dates a month further out than the standard store brand so I started buying that. A local health-food store has locally produced ground beef that expires weeks further out than the standard supermarket ground beef. So I think the difference may be how long the food has been around before it hits the store shelves.

[dweller]

14. I expect it will just get worse

With an insecure economy , as grocery stores are facing the increases in their budgets with the price increases effecting sale of goods , ordering and not selling product affects their bottom line too .
We all have been commenting on buying only what we need , and it is translating into what the stores are going to order ; too much and it goes to waste for them too . Order too little and they lose potential sales .
As a single , older person i buy a regular amount of food on a regular basis and generally never have any waste or spoilage . My diet is set and doesn’t really fluctuate. I also have the time to shop for specials and sales items , and can buy small amounts daily if need be . I’m retired and have several stores within just a few miles so can spend as much or little time as I want to shop .
But for the young family with growing children, it’s a real chore to shop and stock for a week’s meals . They may not be looking at the dates , or paying attention to country of origin of a product , just buying to fit a budget if they have one .
And I think with these new tariffs it’s all going to go to hell for many of them. It will go to hell for the grocery providers too . They are going to have raise prices knowing full well it will be harder for their consumers to afford them . So I suspect sell by dates will be hinky on many products for the near future . And many products will start becoming unavailable.
And especially to the point , put the blame on the idiot causing this mess with his stupid tariffs . They are going to cause a lot of pain to all of us, including the grocery providers too. All brought on by the dumbass who has only now has decided to inform us he has learned a new word - groceries. 😐



✌🏻

[I_UndergroundPanther]

15. Yes I have noticed it

Everything goes bad faster especially things like milk veggies & fruit.

I saw an article that said our produce does not have as much minerals and vitamins in it. Soil depletion.

I noticed this faster going bad thing starting to happen around 1993.I noticed it first in melons and tomatoes.

[cadoman]

16. yes but our fridge's temp is noticeably broken so...

It's to be expected.

[wishstar]

17. I've had navel oranges this season going bad much faster

Noticeably worse quality for the California navels so I have to look at the bags much closer and refrigerate them which we never had to do before. Often don't even buy them when quality looks poor with sometimes even visible mold already.

I also try to only buy fruit at the store when it is still cold and just put out so I it might last longer having been refrigerated at back of store and not sitting out on shelves too long. Also having to look at packs of blueberries and strawberries much more carefully.