Is it just me, or has supermarket food gone from bad to worse since the recession? The wife and I have been using the same selection of supermarkets for our weekly shop for years, and all has generally been ok, until recently. Now it seems everything we buy is just really rubbish quality. For example, we bought a 500g pack of minced beef last time we went, the same product we've been buying for years, only this time it was already off before its use by date. We got some Pukka pies from a different shop, Pukka pies are about the best mass produced pies there are, but not anymore. Mostly pastry and a few bits of chewy meat. Veg already looks half rotten while it is still on display. I could give loads of examples. A work colleague, who shops at different shops to us, said he'd noticed the same too. Is it just me (and my work colleague) or have British supermarkets become the purveyors of inferior food lately?
I'll bet it's not just the British ones Clueless......it's likely a common thing in western civilisation all over. If you look at some of the produce in stores - many of the major stores are doing great prices on some of it - part of the 'five a day' campaign? Only problem is - unless you buy your fruit daily (we'll easily go through a bag of apples, bag of mandarins, bunch of bananas in a regular day) - you only have 'fresh' fruit for a day before it starts to turn.
The great British public have for years favoured the supermarkets at the expense of the small shopholder. Now that the big chains have got their way, it's a bit late to start complaining about quality. Is this the end of life as we knew it? Anyone would think that supermarkets were there for the benefit of the public, come on now, don't let's be silly. OK mods, you can ban me now
I agree, but unfortunately the independents have already been pretty much forced out now. For people of my sort of generation, there's not a lot we could have done, as the supermarkets already had their foothold before I was old enough to fend for myself. To be perfectly honest, without driving for several hours, I honestly don't know where I could do the weekly shop without using a chain store. Its sad, but it seems to be the way it is. I hope so. Something has to change. To be honest I get the feeling that things are changing for the better. It seems more people are trying to rediscover old, tried and tested ways. For example growing ones own food. Not too many years ago if a towny tried to grow their own food, either their neighbours would laugh, or their peers would brand you a 'pover' (skint and stingey) or at the very least eccentric, now its fashionable again. I remember in the 1980s with the coming of the digital watch, then the pocket calculator, and then the filofax. During that period the answer to everything was to chuck money at stuff and buy artificial, 'scientific' stuff. It was fashionable to 'move with the times', and there was no room at all for anything 'old fashioned'. Wasting things became fashionable, and huge modern superstores became proper shops, with small independents being left high and dry. Do you know, when I was at school, I remember a Gateway store opening in our town (later became QuickSave, then later went bust). Believe it or not it was actually considered fashionable to be seen carrying one of their carrier bags for a brief period, because it was 'the new shop'. (I must point out that I was never a follower of fashion).
Quality has gone down hill and prices are forever on the increase. One of the worse tricks perpetrated by supermarkets is this nasty habit of 'Downsizing' cans or jars of produce. This is just another way to increase their profits while giving the customer a whole lot less for their money, and it stinks! Do you know what I hate about supermarkets? It's when I ask for something, usually organic produce, and they turn to me and say 'sorry, sir, but we don't get enough call for this item. Supermarkets appear to be with us to serve one purpose, and that is to sell us what they want us to have, not the other way round....
Jack Cohen the founder of Tesco's had a saying. "Pile it high, sell it cheap." I'm afraid that whether that was true or not I've no idea, I do know a lot of suspect foodstuffs was sold when he first started out. I can only speak for my own experiences in the retail business. But you could say the saying for all the major food retailers is now "Pile it high, sell it at a minimum of 32% gross profit and keep the supplier waiting up to three months for their money." The only thing I sold at a minimum mark-up, was petrol where the margins are believe it or not, only 6% and the moment it dropped into the forecourt tanks the Shell driver radioed his office and the direct debit for the cost was actioned immediately. My wife rarely buys meat when we go shopping, we use mainly M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury's and occasionally Aldi all on the same trip, as where we live they are close to each other. She buys meat direct from people like these; http://www.buccleuchfoods.com/ and our pies come from here. http://www.limetreepantry.co.uk/ The quality is far better than any of the main retailers. The prices are no more expensive. She bangs in an order every couple of months. She phones them up and gets what she wants rather than take their packs.
I bought a bag with 4 sweet potatoes in it and 48 hours later they were off - still in date but sqishy. On a plus note though there is a small greengrocers opened in town - they've had to move to larger premises as there wasn't enough room in both the shop and the store room - even though they're on the main street in town (albeit a little further up than the majority of the big name stores) some people Ive spoken to about it don't know that theres a greengrocers in town again. We were about 10 years without one so maybe things are looking up for the small greengrocers as they would have a unique selling point especially for older people who still like to shop daily and people like me who just want a handful of grapes for my little boy as a snack when we're shopping.
I really don't have this problem with fruit and veg. We do a weekly shop and the fruit/veg we buy is still ok 5 days later. Most stuff goes in the fridge, except hard fruit like oranges, apples and kiwi, pears. We store potatoes (including sweet) in a dark cupboard, with onions and they keep well over a week. We also plan what meals we're having so 99% of the fresh stuff we buy gets used up. I think there's a green chilli in the bottom of the fridge that's been there for two weeks and it might be getting past it's useability by now, but I used it's companion in a risotto last night and it was fine!
I put the potatoes in the fridge to be honest and last forever in there! Onions too. We also do a weekly shop so usually not a problem, although fruit does tend to go off quicker than anything. Bananas especially .... but then I dont mind slightly browning bananas mashed on toast (one of my yummy favs :D ) so pretty much everything gets used. Totally agree though, have noticed prices remaining the same in supermarkets but the size getting a lot smaller !!!!
A few years ago I had a lot of email correspondence with the meat buyer of M&S over the quality of their pre-packed meat in one of their major stores, Handforth Dean. Basically, every time we went in there I used to follow my wife round "trying not to work" if you understand me. But whenever we got to the meat counter I would find several pre-packs where the contents had gone black in places. I would remove probably half a dozen packs and put them in our trolley. When I found "someone of importance" (quite difficult) I'd take them on one side and quietly ask them to look at them. The first thing they'd do was look at the "sell by dates" I'd be given the lame excuse; "They aren't out of date." To which I would quietly reply; "Never mind that, would you eat it?" "No." Then why are you trying to sell it?" I found similar problems in two other M&S stores whenever we visited them. M&S took out a whole level of supervision in their stores, quite a few years ago. Now the displays are filled first thing in the morning and it "sits there" until nearly closing time when a girl will come round and check the dates. Occasioally a member of staff will top up stuff that hadn't been filled in the morning, usually because the fillers have riun out of time because the delivery was late, but with daily deliveries it's usually what's on the shelf is what they've got. There's no one supervising. Their standards I think started to fall "when they started letting the staff wear their gardening clothes to work." All major stores put too much reliance on sell-by dates. Fresh foods, all sections need examining at least three time in a day to ensure acceptable quality, as "stuff goes off on the counter." I got the buyer to instigate several checks a day in stores, so the situation improved, but it didn't last. It still happened so we stopped buying M&S meat, as a principle. In the last couple of years it has improved, only due I think to the fact that M&S have drastically cut back on their range of fresh meat products.
I keep bananas seperate from other fruit - it stops them ripening too quickly. I can buy a bunch (5/6) and they'll be still edible a week later. I calculate one a day - OH doesn't really eat them. In case no one has seen this website before, it's excellent, not just for keeping food fresh but for all sorts of tips. http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/storage_and_tools
Thanks for the link. I've just been looking at it, its really good. Its an interesting coincidence that I've recently started to take the initiative to reduce food waste in our house. With some guidance from redstar, I recently made some superb chicken broth with the remains of the roast chicken from the day before (and a few other bits, most of which would have otherwise gone to waste). May here will say so what, but for me it was quite a milestone.
its not only the supermarkets who are selling lower grade quality food >local shops vs supermarkets. we have shopped for years at our local butcher,who in the past his quality has been excellent.this past six months the standard has dropped (to say the least).my wife purchased mince,which in the past has been excellent,no fatty grease . my wife cooked it and asked me to taste it,as she did not like the colour of it .(she,s fly that way!) it was awful ,tasteless,rubbery.she said (what do you think??) i said (i would not give it to the dog!) the whole lot went into the bin!!. and this was a butcher who was charging over the top prices for quality.the wife purchased mince from (ICELAND) later on ,and it was excellent,at half the price!!! the dog did not get any!!! music.
another thing from supermarkets (fruit). you get to the counter,you see all this fruit ,shining,ripe,.you think (lovely) i will have some of that!! bag it ,take it home.put away the shopping ,thinking ,i am going to have that big juicy pear.get it out the bag and bite!!! your false teeth fall out!! its like a frozen turnip!!!!. the fires of hell will freeze over before that ripens??. MUSIC!!!.
