Shoppers frustrated with out-of-date foods

The only time I don’t like grocery shopping is when I’m in a hurry. Most of the time, I like to look for new products, read labels, and plan dinner while shopping. But lately I’ve been frustrated with out-of-date or near out-of-date items.

A few weeks ago, a reader called to talk about expiration dates on many of the fresh products at the supermarket. She said there are many times when she checks the dates before buying only to find that the product is ready to expire that day or the next. She has talked to several people who say they don’t notice the dates until they get home, then they end up throwing away so many products before they’re consumed.

Several people responded to the story:

John wrote: We seemed to start noticing out-of date or near out-of date in the late spring. It has continued this summer at our Kroger Store in Lawrenceburg. Dairy is the worst. Milk either that day or in two to three days. Yogurt is also a problem. Some times cottage cheese is out-of date. We have also seen dry goods that usually have 6 to 12 months with only a month or six weeks. Some canned goods are the same way.

Tim said: At Meijer’s had to return chocolate syrup on a Monday after buying it on Friday night. Went back the next Friday night and STILL outdated syrup on shelf, went and got someone to remove it. Also happened with a cold medicine.

From Karl: For years, I have been a loyal customer at the Kroger Store on Boston Road, here in Lexington. Over the last year, I have noticed that they are becoming a bit lax regarding past dated items remaining on their shelves. (Some can goods and dairy products).

On Aug. 24, while I was there shopping, I went to the dairy case to purchase a few cans of Grands biscuits, that come refrigerated in a tube. There were approximately 15 cans in the bin. Out of those 15 cans, 12 were expired. Some just a few days past the sell by date, but. there were 8 cans that had expired back in March and April.

Plus, there was one can that I could not read the expiration date because it was rusted so bad. The entire can was covered in rust. It looked terrible.

I stopped a employee who was walking by, and pointed out to him all the expired biscuit cans that I had just found and had set down on the floor. He quickly took them away. There was/is no excuse for this to ever happen in a major market store such as Kroger.

I have done some shopping at other local stores such as Wal-Mart and Meijer. I cannot recall ever having a problem at those locations. But, as I stated earlier, the Boston Road. Kroger has increasingly become worse and worse about this type of problem.

I started to complain to the manager, but did not think it would do any good (Though I have brought similar problems to their attention before), mainly because there seems to be a different manager on duty everyday, and they seem to change managers at this store quite often.
I mainly shop there because I do have a physical disability, and they are located very close to my home, and it’s convenient for me to park easily, and get in and out quickly.

Rick said: I have noticed very short expiration dates, not just on items you would think of as fresh or dated, but on things like salad dressing that you don’t generally think to look at the date on the label because you expect to have used it up long before it would expire, at the Meijer store on Reynolds Road.

We shop at Kroger in Beaumont and at Meijer, and we prefer Meijer for their good produce and (mostly) lower prices; but we find much of the savings is often lost when we have to throw away unused purchases that go past their expiration dates. Although we still shop there, we are very careful to check the dates on everything that goes into the cart, and it’s an annoyance.

I’ve seen much worse, though. Where we used to live in Pennsylvania there was an IGA store that would put “Reduced for quick sale” stickers on meat so that the expiration date was covered. If you carefully peeled back the reduced price sticker you would discover that the expiration date had already passed before they reduced the price.

John explained: I have had many problems on this issue with the Meijer’s store at Hamburg. I have picked up meats with that day’s date for expiration, bread that has one day to go, and I once picked up a ham that was past its date. I recently bought some cake mix and icing and when I was ready to spread the icing, I noticed it spread like melted butter with no consistency. I looked at the bottom of the can and it was 2 months past its sell-by date. I sent an e-mail to Meijer expressing my concerns, but of course, no reply.

I have now solved the problem myself. I shop at the new Wal-Mart in Hamburg. Although I still check the dates, I have not noticed the mass violations that I experienced at Meijer. It’s sad really, because I enjoyed shopping at Meijer. If they ever clean up their act, I may return my business.

Anne said: A couple of weeks ago I purchased a can of Pillsbury crescent rolls from Kroger. I was getting ready to cook them for dinner when I saw that the use-by date was May 13, 2007. I had to do a double take and actually asked my husband if we were past May 2007. Needless to say, I called Pillsbury and gave them the info and they sent a replacement coupon.

Now, this second story is very interesting. Several months ago, my 3-year-old daughter and I went to a very popular local candy store (name withheld, but I am VERY tempted to share…I do tell all of my friends the name) to get jelly beans. We found a small pack of Jelly Bellys that were the perfect size for her. As she started to eat them, she told me they were “hard to chew.” I thought this was a normal comment from a then 2-year old, so I tried one, and it was as hard as a rock and a funny color. So, I called Jelly Belly, even before leaving the parking lot of the store. I gave them the info on the package and asked it they might be a little old. She laughed and said they were to be sold by 2002….yes, 2002, 5 years ago. They have been sitting on the shelf for 5 years. I didn’t go back in the store to return them. Instead, I had Jelly Belly send a consumer products specialist in to check their other stock.
“This incident makes me wonder about the chocolate that this stores makes. I wonder how fresh it really is.”

Fred commented: I have been the primary cook and grocery shopper in my household for about 14 years. Prior to that my wife did most of the cooking and grocery shopping but I have always read the ads every day, though more closely on Sunday mornings.

My motivations: I like to cook, I love to eat, and I have always appreciated value. I do not believe you can merely consider the expiration date of products without considering the value side also.

I live in Georgetown where the only mega store we have is a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Kroger and a very small Save-a-Lot are the only other two full service groceries. We will not make a special trip to Lexington for any purchase, but if we are in Lexington, we will sometimes stop by Meijers, and make a routine trip to Sam’s Club approximately every 2 months.

We have an extra side by side fridge/freezer and an extra upright freezer in our basement that allows us to purchase and store things in quantity. I can always find “short dated” and “out dated” items at both groceries where I shop. But I have always found significantly more at Kroger’s than at Wal-Mart. Both stores have high volume in Georgetown. It simply boils down to Wal-Mart doing a better job of policing this than Kroger.

I have no doubt this is an individual store issue and that this will vary from store to store, from community to community, and is dependent upon store management and employee performance.

Prepackaged manufacturer items (canned goods, sealed plastic bags and containers, bottled items) should be on equal footing where ever you buy so the consumer should take responsibility for looking at the expiration dates while shopping, not after they get home.

Items that have short shelf lives:
Milk products.I can count on Kroger brand milk going bad by the expiration date, even if the container has not been opened until the expiration date. Kroger brand milk typically has an expiration date 5-7 days from the date I purchase it. I cannot buy several gallons of Kroger brand milk in quantity at one time because of the short expiration dates of Kroger brand milk. I like to buy in quantity to save trips to the store.

Wal-Mart brand of milk has always had an expiration date of from 10-14 days from my date of purchase, allowing me to buy 5-6 gallons at at time (sometimes twice a week). When occasionally I have overpurchased milk, the Wal-Mart brand is still good, when first opened a few days beyond the expiration date. The Kroger brand has always gone bad by the expiration date, even when unopened till then.

Kroger brand half ‘n’ half has never (over 14 years) had an expiration date more than one week from my purchase date. Wal-Mart brand of half ‘n’ half always has an expiration date of 4-6 weeks, compared to Kroger brand of one week. I can purchase 2-3 quarts of half ‘n’ half at Wal-Mart at one time with confidence that I won’t lose any to spoilage over a period of several weeks.

I do not know enough about the differences in pasteurization processes, or different additives that may enhance expiration dates of milk products. I only know that I no longer buy milk or half ‘n’ half at Kroger due to short expiration dates. I would rather by milk twice a week, than 4 times a week. A convenience.

When you couple the Wal-Mart longer expiration dates with their “price matching” of other store sale prices, Wal-Mart becomes a win-win situation for us. Another story I guess. But when we were a family of 4 (before our 2 sons went away to school) we realized about a $50 a week savings by shopping at Wal-Mart. We don’t buy everything at Wal-Mart. We buy better steak cuts at Sam’s Club or Meijers only. Never Kroger, never Wal-Mart. And of course in quantity, when on sale.

Expiration dates of pre-packaged meats (sausage, bacon, bologna, ham) from national manufacturers are of little consequence since we often freeze these and use as needed. Expiration dates of meats purchased from the delis however, sliced by the store employees need to be checked by the consumer.

The expiration date is on the original package from which the employee takes the slices. The deli may put a sell- by date on the consumer’s package, but that is usually the date of the purchase, not the expiration date.” Again, the consumer must take the responsibilty to check this.

As probably like most consumers, we find one store will consistently have fresher produce than another. One store will consistently carry better fresh cut meats than another. But one thing we have noticed is that just about any product Wal-Mart puts their name on (whether it be the “Sam’s Choice” or “Great Value”), it is as good or better product than the corresponding brand name we used to purchase. This is something I have noticed over a period of years. I have learned that “generic” does not mean lower quality, at least not at Wal-Mart. I think they have done an excellent job in doing their research and they are very careful not to put their “logo” on it, if it is not of high caliber. Their reputation depends on it. I have come to trust the Wal- Mart brand over the years. Quality and savings are the rewards.”