Help, I can’t buy vegetables any more

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saintfreddy
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01 Aug 2022, 3:10 am

A few weeks ago 3 U.K. supermarkets announced they will remove best before dates on fresh fruit and veg. I reacted by “banning” those supermarkets, and going to Waitrose - which is not ideal but I can cope with that. Now it is announced that Waitrose will join in with this.

Firstly it’s sad they don’t think of the impact it has on certain people.

Second, what can I do? I simply CANNOT eat food unless I know it is within the date. Tell me anything you want, I’ve had veg that’s 1 day over and it’s disgusting, all soft and tastes sweet. I also don’t believe in using judgement, give me a rule to follow and I’ll follow it!

Urgh hoping someone can suggest something, I feel the worlds against me on this one, all my friends are laughing at me



Joe90
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01 Aug 2022, 3:21 am

I think it's a bad idea to not put use by dates on fruits and vegetables. I thought it's a health and safety thing to have to have dates on things. I've always been the sort to date check everything before eating, because sometimes my stomach can react to food that's a bit off and can give me diarrhea. I don't like living in this country any more because the stupid decisions they make that contradict their obsession with health, safety or climate change.

Sorry I don't have any suggestions, because I agree with you. Hopefully other people can give us some suggestions.


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Mikah
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01 Aug 2022, 4:02 am

You'll just have to learn how to identify the best stuff by eye, nose and hand like all humans before the modern era. It's a pain, but once you've got it you'll wonder why you ever trusted best before dates.


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babybird
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01 Aug 2022, 4:08 am

Frozen might be an option.


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temp1234
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01 Aug 2022, 8:23 am

Some vegetables that I buy don't come in any kind of packaging and hence don't have any use-by/expiry date. For example, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, onions, etc are all sold naked. It's easy to tell if they are fresh or not. So I think you can also get used to judging the freshness of the vegetables. I kind of trained myself in doing that when I moved out of my parents' place and had to do my own shopping. It's not as scary as it seems. Maybe you can go shopping with someone who can show you how to do that?



Fnord
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01 Aug 2022, 8:28 am

I learned at an early age how to identify produce past its prime by the way it looks, feels, and smells.

It is easy, and no labels are needed.



kraftiekortie
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01 Aug 2022, 8:35 am

I don't believe we even have "best before" on fresh vegetables here in the US

Your best bet, probably, is to go to a "green grocer" where there's long lines. This guarantees that the fresh fruits and vegetables are actually "fresh."



Misslizard
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01 Aug 2022, 8:39 am

Farmer’s markers will have fresh picked.
Or you could find out when your store restocks with fresh fruit and veg.
We don’t have expiration labels on fruit and veg here.


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goldfish21
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13 Aug 2022, 11:02 am

Uhhh, I can see why your friends are laughing at you.

Fruits and veg follow natural cycles, not predetermined fixed expiration dates.

The rule will differ slightly for each fruit and veg depending on how they age or decay. For some, if it's soft and mushy, don't eat it. For others if they're turning dark brown, maybe they're too aged for you. For almost anything if it's molding it's no good. etc.


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HeroOfHyrule
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13 Aug 2022, 11:16 am

We don't even have expiry dates on fruit and vegetables where I live, unless they're frozen or canned. Everyone learns to inspect fresh produce to ensure it's ripe and not too old. It's more reliable honestly since every piece ages differently depending on the weather, season, the store you got it from, etc.



goldfish21
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13 Aug 2022, 12:08 pm

HeroOfHyrule wrote:
We don't even have expiry dates on fruit and vegetables where I live, unless they're frozen or canned. Everyone learns to inspect fresh produce to ensure it's ripe and not too old. It's more reliable honestly since every piece ages differently depending on the weather, season, the store you got it from, etc.

Yep, this.

I don't think I've ever seen a best before date on produce, come to think of it.. except for pre-packaged salads - and even then, the only use in buying the package with the farthest date out is that it'll likely give you a little longer to consume it before it starts to spoil. It's almost always still good for days after that date - depending on how it's stored etc.

People just have to learn how to tell if a fruit or veg is ripe and fit to eat, or if it's spoiled. Touch, smell, taste etc - use your senses + common sense.


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Sweetleaf
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13 Aug 2022, 12:29 pm

goldfish21 wrote:
HeroOfHyrule wrote:
We don't even have expiry dates on fruit and vegetables where I live, unless they're frozen or canned. Everyone learns to inspect fresh produce to ensure it's ripe and not too old. It's more reliable honestly since every piece ages differently depending on the weather, season, the store you got it from, etc.

Yep, this.

I don't think I've ever seen a best before date on produce, come to think of it.. except for pre-packaged salads - and even then, the only use in buying the package with the farthest date out is that it'll likely give you a little longer to consume it before it starts to spoil. It's almost always still good for days after that date - depending on how it's stored etc.

People just have to learn how to tell if a fruit or veg is ripe and fit to eat, or if it's spoiled. Touch, smell, taste etc - use your senses + common sense.


Yeah, come to think of it I have never seen a best by date on loose produce, sometimes packaged stuff does but yeah depending on storage it may last a little longer or if you store it badly may not even make it to the best by date.


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TenMinutes
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13 Aug 2022, 12:59 pm

Don't discount frozen. It tends to be frozen at the perfect time, so it is often the healthier choice. I eat frozen broccoli, because it is so much simpler than cleaning the wax off of fresh broccoli. I also eat frozen blueberries and strawberries. I eat packaged baby spinach, which does have an expiry date on it, and fresh leeks, which do not. Bananas are easy to tell, and apples last long enough I don't worry about it.



DanielW
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13 Aug 2022, 1:04 pm

I don't think loose fruits or vegetables have ever had sell by dates on them in the US (or anywhere else outside it that I have traveled). Already bagged produce does. but not individually. Stop buying pre-bagged produce and you should be fine. Failing that, buy it frozen.

If that doesn't work, find a shop that sells decent produce and ask someone, most people will be glad to show you you to choose something fresh.

Just because something has a date on it doesn't make it fresh, If something hasn't been stored properly in will go bad no matter what the date says.