Topic: Ridiculous Supermarket Policies

[vegmandan]

Just been into my local Supermarket and they had bags of Potatoes and Bananas in the "Reduced" bin which will be thrown away tomorrow as they will exceed their "best before date"  ???

How ridiculous that the EU have decided in their infinate wisdom that a vegetable that is "Bagged" has a sell by date where as if it is sold loose then it doesn't !!  :o

A pototo or a banana isn't unsafe to eat if it's passed it's sell by date in a plastic bag !!. :-[

OK If the spuds are green or the bananas are all brown and rotten then fair enough but to put a short time  limit on selling a bag of spuds that will have been stored for the best part of 6 months quite harmlessley beforehand by the farmer is utterly preposterous. :-\

The bananas I saw were still green but due to EU laws had passed their sell by date and would be disposed of the next day. : :'(

Needless to say I bought all the spuds at 49p per 5lb bag and the bananas at 24p for a bunch.  ;D

It's about time these Supermarkets took a stance regarding these daft EU laws and stopped throwing away perfectly good food. :-X

Rant over.  ;D

[carrot-cruncher]

I always start my shopping at the reduced bins, regardless whether it's fruit & veg, bread or chilled department.   It don't half make my money go further & I get some right good bargains.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a 4 pint carton of organic milk for 10p!!!   It made a lovely egg custard and semolina pudding, plus there was still some available for my breakfast & a treat for the cat.

I've also bought blocks of butter for a fraction of their normal price & with reduced price veg it all goes into the pot & becomes lovely healthy low-fat low-calorie soup.

CC

[Larkshall]

How ridiculous that the EU have decided in their infinate wisdom that a vegetable that is "Bagged" has a sell by date where as if it is sold loose then it doesn't !!  :o

A pototo or a banana isn't unsafe to eat if it's passed it's sell by date in a plastic bag !!. :-[

OK If the spuds are green or the bananas are all brown and rotten then fair enough but to put a short time  limit on selling a bag of spuds that will have been stored for the best part of 6 months quite harmlessley beforehand by the farmer is utterly preposterous. :-\

There is a great difference between a "bagged" product and a loose product. The bagged product is in a plastic bag and subject to rot due to no ventilation. You wouldn't last very long if they stuck you in a plastic bag.

Most root veg. are washed, this starts the decay. If you buy loose "dirt on" potatoes and root veg. they will last weeks if stored properly (cool, well ventilated and in the dark).

Green veg. will also start to decay if left in a plastic wrapper.

The EU regulations are only putting into writing what the countryman has been practising for years. Granny and eggs spring to mind.

[Baccy Man]

Just been into my local Supermarket and they had bags of Potatoes and Bananas in the "Reduced" bin which will be thrown away tomorrow as they will exceed their "best before date"  ???

How ridiculous that the EU have decided in their infinate wisdom that a vegetable that is "Bagged" has a sell by date where as if it is sold loose then it doesn't !!  :o

.......The bananas I saw were still green but due to EU laws had passed their sell by date and would be disposed of the next day. : :'(

'Sell by' dates & 'Display until' dates have nothing to do with EU laws. It is up to the manufacturer or shop if it wants to put a 'Sell by' or 'Display until' date on packaged foods. They are used as a guide to when the product is likely to start deteriorating so shop staff can ensure only the most aesthetically pleasing produce is on display.

'Use by' & 'Best before' dates are regulated by the FSA all food products must have at least one of these dates displayed. It is against the law to sell any food that has passed its 'use by' date as consuming it after this date could potentially put your health at risk.
Best before' dates relate to quality not safety with the exception of eggs which can contain salmonella bacteria, which could start to multiply after the 'best before' date. Foods will still be safe to eat just not at their best anymore.

It's not illegal for shops to sell food after its 'best before', 'sell by' or 'display until' date. but wether in date or not food sold must not put people's health at risk and must not be falsely or misleadingly described or presented.
There are numerous companies who purchase food past it's best before date & sell it off cheap such as http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/
Unfortunately as companies often don't like their brand names being associated with discounted food a lot of perfectly good food still ends up in landfill purely to protect brand names.

[amphibian]

Just been into my local Supermarket and they had bags of Potatoes and Bananas in the "Reduced" bin which will be thrown away tomorrow as they will exceed their "best before date"  ???

How ridiculous that the EU have decided in their infinate wisdom that a vegetable that is "Bagged" has a sell by date where as if it is sold loose then it doesn't !!  :o

.......The bananas I saw were still green but due to EU laws had passed their sell by date and would be disposed of the next day. : :'(

'Sell by' dates & 'Display until' dates have nothing to do with EU laws. It is up to the manufacturer or shop if it wants to put a 'Sell by' or 'Display until' date on packaged foods. They are used as a guide to when the product is likely to start deteriorating so shop staff can ensure only the most aesthetically pleasing produce is on display.

'Use by' & 'Best before' dates are regulated by the FSA all food products must have at least one of these dates displayed. It is against the law to sell any food that has passed its 'use by' date as consuming it after this date could potentially put your health at risk.
Best before' dates relate to quality not safety with the exception of eggs which can contain salmonella bacteria, which could start to multiply after the 'best before' date. Foods will still be safe to eat just not at their best anymore.

It's not illegal for shops to sell food after its 'best before', 'sell by' or 'display until' date. but wether in date or not food sold must not put people's health at risk and must not be falsely or misleadingly described or presented.
There are numerous companies who purchase food past it's best before date & sell it off cheap such as http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/
Unfortunately as companies often don't like their brand names being associated with discounted food a lot of perfectly good food still ends up in landfill purely to protect brand names.

Spot on.

There's a great shop in Hastings that sells food past its best before date, mostly luxury stuff at micro prices.

[Deb P]

There is a place in Sheffield that makes a living out of selling 'best before' expired foods etc.....

http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/index.asp

[asbean]

Who asked for bananas and potatoes to be put into plastic bags in the first place?  I'm sure it wasn't the general public, who are still happy to peel off bag after bag at the checkout, which makes them bagged twice.

No, I think it's for the convenience of the supermarket (as always).  They make it easier for someone to take a bag of something rather than select what they need.  The public is lulled into thinking "how convenient" and before you know it you hear people saying "but it's so conveninent shopping at the supermarket" while all along they are laughing all the way to the bank.  >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

[thifasmom]

what i have noticed of late is that the bagged produce is now working out cheaper than the loose produce.

take for instance tesco is selling loose sweetpeppers at 60p ea but a bag of three sweetpeppers are going at £1.38 (46p/ea). now i have noticed this is the case with carrots, sometimes broccoli and other veges. i used to always pick up the unbagged fruit with out really casting my eyes at the price with the assumption that bagged items would be more expensive due to packaging. but i have come to realise over the last few months that this is not the case. so i check their prices and buy cheaper if its the bagged one i leave their packaging at the checkout.

is this the supermarkets way of ensuring we buy food in the way they want to sell it :-\.

[Little Bee]

Very true that washed fruit and veg does not last as long.
I at first was washing my carrots before putting them in the fridge and when i came to use them they had gone 'limp and also strawberries go soggy and mouldy after washing and storing them. :(

Sometimes supermarket bagged veg works out cheaper than loose,just look in the bottom corner of the display label where the price is and it will show you the price per kg so do compare this when buying.' :)

[raisedbedted]

Yes I agree that all this nonsense about it being convenient shopping at a supermarket is just a big con.

I would far rather bundle my children into the car and drive to the local butchers to buy the meat then to put the children back into the car and drive to the greengrocers, find somewhere to park, cross over the narrow but always busy village road and buy my greenery.

Then its off to ye olde worlde grocery shop and post office to try to navigate the narrow aisles to buy any provisions.

Hmmm, I'm starting to think that supermarkets are making money because they provide a service that is needed, sadly some people do want to buy their bananas in a bag to save them even more time, I'm not one of them.  Its de rigeur to slate supermarkets and to suggest that we should prance along villages waving wicker shopping baskets in our arms, but sadly that is just not reality.

[asbean]

No, sadly it's not a reality - those shops don't exist - at least not in my neck of the woods  :( :( :( :( :( :(

[tonybloke]

plenty of local well stocked shops up here!!

[betula]

Our village shops are very good.

Butcher,greengrocer.............two grocery and a chemist.

Plus we have a farm shop not too far away.

Stress free shopping.

I only go to the supermarket when I am looking for a much bigger choice.

Last time was just before Christmas.

[betula]

Plus...............they do a lovely special everyday :)

[Kendy]

Bagged v packaged.

In Asda they sell green grapes in a zippy plastic bag for £1.98 per kilo or in a flimsy plastic tub within mesh bag at £1.98. 

Sounds good - get them in tte tub with mesh across as they should keep longer except that the tub only contains 500g i.e. twice the price of the ones in the bag !

[artichoke]

Amphibian, can you tell me more about the shop in Hastings "mostly luxury stuff at micro prices" ??? Its name and where it is?

[tomatoada]

Carrot-cruncher.  Milk can be frozen.  I always have a few pints in the freezer.  I put them in the frig. over night to thaw.

[cambourne7]

there was a program on about people who just lived out of the food in the bin at supermarkets. I though yuck till i saw them bring out unopened crates of food !!!

[djbrenton]

My daughter and her house mates used to live on  the fruit and veg thrown away by a local health food shop. On any given Sunday there would be trays of different veg including baking potatoes?? in the skip. Nothing wrong with any of it.

[Jeannine]

There is  car boot sale on the estate where I worked once a week and one of the stall holders has tons of stuff that is close to sell by date, fresh, tinned and packaged. I have paid 25p for red salmon. less for corned beef, Salad dressings sell for about 10p,  biscuits and packs of chocolate bars 10 for £1. I know that many of the customers live off these stalls and am glad to see them.

I think it is a shame that so much stuff is wasted.

?? Are there not food banks in the UK where folks get can get free food if they need too. in Canada there are several in each city and much stuff is picked up by the banks from shops and manufacturers.

Free bread was always available from the local bakery if  a couple of days old and what was not taken was given to the local Salvation Army thrift shop, they in turn had it as free on their counter for the next day.

Excess veggies from gardeners was given to the food banks too. but I don't think I have heard of one here. Am  I wrong? They also do Christmas hampers to the needy.

XX Jeannine