Fresh Fruit & Veg from the supermarket...

[Ding Dang Doo]

I'm am getting fed up with buying 'fresh' fruit, salad and veg from the supermarket, only to be throwing it away a couple of days later... (and no, I don't keep me 'nanas next to the other fruit)

Surely this can't just be happening to me?

Even if you buy the pre packed stuff it may only have a couple of days left on the 'display until' label, if you rummage around, you may get an extra day or two on the date stamp - what do you do after its sell by date? - throw it in the bloody bin!

I don't remember having this problem a few years back - it just seems to have got worse.

Is this just a ploy by the big supermarkets to get us to part with more of our hard earned - is the stuff in pre packed okay for a lot longer than it says? and they are reeping the riches of our (my) paranoia?


Pete

[Stesh]

Have you tried turning your fridge on?

[EdHornby]

I';ve come to the conclusion that it's the ready bagged stuff that is the danger - It's my totally unfounded suspicion that in a bag of oranges you'll get a few that are a few days older than the rest...

I reckon that the modern sub-zero fridging systems don't help either, best this is to observe the seasonal rules wherever possible (yeah I know that most of it is flown in from other places etc.) and go to the bit where you bag it up yourself and choose the veg carefully

and while we're on the point - oi all you supermarkets get rid of the little plastic bags and put paper ones in their place!!!

I get funny looks when the veg doesn't get bagged up - bollocks to em..

[jackadam]

yes - its a ploy by the supermarket, they specifically buy / specify from suppliers to get a short shelf life on products.
Support your local green grocer - Although late opening, parking and all the other crap makes supporting them difficult.

[NotDeadYet]

Originally Posted by Ding Dang Doo

they are reeping the riches of our (my) paranoia?

Yep they are. Tell me you aren't chucking it just because its past its date? If veg looks and smells OK then it generally is OK. Forget the dates, things like apples, onions, spuds, squashes, etc., will keep for months if stored right.

Prepacked stuff is shite, you get condensation in the bags and it turns manky in a couple of days if you aren't careful with it. Buy loose when you can or get rid of the packaging as soon as possible. There aren't many vegetables that like being wrapped in plastic.

Or buy veg boxes from local farms.

[chrisch]

Originally Posted by jackadam

...
Support your local green grocer ...

Supermarket fruit and veg is shite.. Even here its not that good and the distances its shipped makes it very un-green.

I grew up just north of Peterborough near where all the UK's caulis, brussels and cabbages are grown. It always amazed me to see folks paying a quid or more for a single cauli (often shipped in from Spain or similar) when just up the road you could buy them from the farm gate 5 for a quid. But I guess as long as people are that lazy/stupid the supermarkets will cash in.

Chris

[Jim Shaw]

It also does'nt help, the fact that the fruit, eg, Oranges from South Africa have spent 6 weeks on a boat, even before they've got to this country, then god knows how long until they appear on your local supermarket shelves.

I had a job down the docks ( no not that kind of job!! ) and seen the fruit come in off the boats, and was told, how long it was in transit.

[Ding Dang Doo]

Originally Posted by NotDeadYet

Yep they are. Tell me you aren't chucking it just because its past its date? If veg looks and smells OK then it generally is OK. Forget the dates, things like apples, onions, spuds, squashes, etc., will keep for months if stored right.

Prepacked stuff is shite, you get condensation in the bags and it turns manky in a couple of days if you aren't careful with it. Buy loose when you can or get rid of the packaging as soon as possible. There aren't many vegetables that like being wrapped in plastic.

Or buy veg boxes from local farms.

No, as I rule, I don't chuck it... but (pre packed salads especially) it tends to discoluor very quickly.

I try to buy loose where possible... but it's still shit.

I tried loads of different supermarkets (yes, I know support your local greengrocer, but they like to have thier lunch when I have the chance to go shopping) they are all about as bad as each other (Sainsburys may be the pick of a bad bunch, if you'll excuse the pun).

[chrisch]

Originally Posted by Ding Dang Doo

.... but (pre packed salads especially) it tends to discoluor very quickly.

...

Salad leaves are packed in nitrogen/CO2 or similar to stop them oxidising. When you open the pack they start to go off. If you want a mixture buy very small packs or just buy stuff thats not pre-packed. (Top Tip: watercress is much nicer than boring old lettuce and keeps much longer and makes OK soup when it has wilted...)

Chris

[thewisestfish]

Don't buy them from the supermarket then. If you can manage it (you have to get out of the mindset of convenience) go to your local market. I don't buy any veg or meat, well, owt foodwise from the Supermarkets. We've got a brilliant market in leeds, far more choice than the supermarket and cheaper, better quality. Once you get used to the idea of not shopping at Supermarkets, you wonder why you ever went there in the first place.

And farmers markets too, we have 2 a month in Leeds market, 1 in Headingly and one in Otley. You can't beat them either.

Originally Posted by Ding Dang Doo

I'm am getting fed up with buying 'fresh' fruit, salad and veg from the supermarket, only to be throwing it away a couple of days later... (and no, I don't keep me 'nanas next to the other fruit)

Surely this can't just be happening to me?

Even if you buy the pre packed stuff it may only have a couple of days left on the 'display until' label, if you rummage around, you may get an extra day or two on the date stamp - what do you do after its sell by date? - throw it in the bloody bin!

I don't remember having this problem a few years back - it just seems to have got worse.

Is this just a ploy by the big supermarkets to get us to part with more of our hard earned - is the stuff in pre packed okay for a lot longer than it says? and they are reeping the riches of our (my) paranoia?


Pete