I have had exactly the same with peaches and nectarines, all rotten with white fungus the day they were delivered, raspberries rotten with black fungus within 2 days in the fridge and cauliflowers repeatedly supplied with black fungus. Apples and oranges too have been off in no time, when previously they would seem to keep almost indefinitely.
Nick is right on the imported stuff, but that does not fully explain what is going on. The supermarket shortages and cardboard printed displays of bountiful plenty in the bare shelf gaps show the food supply system creaking, with nearly off and off food being sold where previously it would have been skip'd or at least sent to food banks to be picked through.
We have pictures of fake perfect food on supermarket shelves and fake shops covering empty units in high streets and shopping centres. It obscures an economy at best flat or on the edge of plummeting, which has GDP 9% lower than projected at the end of New Labour in 2010 and before the stupid vote robbed us of half that sum and is playing out in many ways, one of them in selling us all rotten fruit and veg.
Fish too is not what it was. There was a time when you could buy actual whole fish in some supermarkets such as Morrisons, What you get now is thinly cut and heavily packaged, soaked in water, so that you have to fry out the water and change the oil. The fish is then ruined. What is called smoked is usually just dyed yellow and the breaded fish is bulked out and hiding a multitude of sins. Because all of it in supermarkets is now rubbish I took to getting it from a fish specialist, but the last 3 orders have all been cancelled due to supply chain issues. It's a combination of overfishing unsustainably, a degraded economy with staff shortages and add to that the magic "B" word: Brexit.
It *is* all so confusing. And when you say "Someone should be doing a major investigation of what is happening with our supply chains post-Brexit that allows this to be possibl" -- yes, it should be the Government who does that, but...
I would worry more about what pesticides etc etc or what mechanically recovered meat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat beloved of the USA although as a veggie I don't go near it) have been used on produce from outwith the EU than best-before dates. Of course, when folk don't have much money, they are going to by the cheapest stuff, and potential health consequences down the line will be the least of their worries. I doubt that the well-off Brexies will be eating substandard food though.
No 'Best Before' dates has been a thing on fruit and veg for a long time now, way before the new 'Not for EU' labelling. It's really annoyed me because it's so obviously a response to shortages but the framing has been about not wasting things. Brexitty sanctimonious. If you have two of anything in your fridge, you never know what to eat first. I've ended up chucking loads of stuff away. Brexit is all lies, degradation and waste.
I understand that some supermarkets (Waitrose is one) have removed best before dates from some products to reduce food waste. Many throw away good food simply because it has passed the sell by date. Idea is, remove date and people use common sense. That this may result in sub-standard goods being put into the chain is not impossible of course.
It will be interesting to observe whether the incoming checks on EU goods (unless they are delayed again) do improve the situation or cause it to further deteriorate.
I'm sorry to have to disagree with you, because even before Brexit, there never was (and still isn't) a "Best before date" on fruits or vegetables, sugar, salt etc. . This issue about the "not for EU" has been explained splendidly by Prof Chris Grey in his blog Brexit and Beyond https://chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/not-for-eu-labelling-case-study-of.html?m=0
I agree with you that Brexit has damaged and still is damaging the UK, but I think it is important to know the truth about things, and accordingly inform the people about them.
I have had exactly the same with peaches and nectarines, all rotten with white fungus the day they were delivered, raspberries rotten with black fungus within 2 days in the fridge and cauliflowers repeatedly supplied with black fungus. Apples and oranges too have been off in no time, when previously they would seem to keep almost indefinitely.
Nick is right on the imported stuff, but that does not fully explain what is going on. The supermarket shortages and cardboard printed displays of bountiful plenty in the bare shelf gaps show the food supply system creaking, with nearly off and off food being sold where previously it would have been skip'd or at least sent to food banks to be picked through.
We have pictures of fake perfect food on supermarket shelves and fake shops covering empty units in high streets and shopping centres. It obscures an economy at best flat or on the edge of plummeting, which has GDP 9% lower than projected at the end of New Labour in 2010 and before the stupid vote robbed us of half that sum and is playing out in many ways, one of them in selling us all rotten fruit and veg.
Fish too is not what it was. There was a time when you could buy actual whole fish in some supermarkets such as Morrisons, What you get now is thinly cut and heavily packaged, soaked in water, so that you have to fry out the water and change the oil. The fish is then ruined. What is called smoked is usually just dyed yellow and the breaded fish is bulked out and hiding a multitude of sins. Because all of it in supermarkets is now rubbish I took to getting it from a fish specialist, but the last 3 orders have all been cancelled due to supply chain issues. It's a combination of overfishing unsustainably, a degraded economy with staff shortages and add to that the magic "B" word: Brexit.
It *is* all so confusing. And when you say "Someone should be doing a major investigation of what is happening with our supply chains post-Brexit that allows this to be possibl" -- yes, it should be the Government who does that, but...
The perception is of lower quality, reinforced by propaganda that the UK can now make its own rules.
To exit there are 3 ways:
1) dynamic adaptation agreement to our EU laws (I laugh) and respect them (I laugh even more)
2) not respecting the Windsor Framework by stopping putting the label (stupid AND probable)
3)breaking the Good Friday Agreement AND Windsor Framework (too stupid)
I would worry more about what pesticides etc etc or what mechanically recovered meat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat beloved of the USA although as a veggie I don't go near it) have been used on produce from outwith the EU than best-before dates. Of course, when folk don't have much money, they are going to by the cheapest stuff, and potential health consequences down the line will be the least of their worries. I doubt that the well-off Brexies will be eating substandard food though.
No 'Best Before' dates has been a thing on fruit and veg for a long time now, way before the new 'Not for EU' labelling. It's really annoyed me because it's so obviously a response to shortages but the framing has been about not wasting things. Brexitty sanctimonious. If you have two of anything in your fridge, you never know what to eat first. I've ended up chucking loads of stuff away. Brexit is all lies, degradation and waste.
I understand that some supermarkets (Waitrose is one) have removed best before dates from some products to reduce food waste. Many throw away good food simply because it has passed the sell by date. Idea is, remove date and people use common sense. That this may result in sub-standard goods being put into the chain is not impossible of course.
It will be interesting to observe whether the incoming checks on EU goods (unless they are delayed again) do improve the situation or cause it to further deteriorate.
Dear Nick,
I'm sorry to have to disagree with you, because even before Brexit, there never was (and still isn't) a "Best before date" on fruits or vegetables, sugar, salt etc. . This issue about the "not for EU" has been explained splendidly by Prof Chris Grey in his blog Brexit and Beyond https://chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/not-for-eu-labelling-case-study-of.html?m=0
I agree with you that Brexit has damaged and still is damaging the UK, but I think it is important to know the truth about things, and accordingly inform the people about them.