I wish we'd been able to stop driving so I could take a photo of the roadworks sign we saw near Oban last week. It was large, bright yellow, and read "SIGN NOT IN USE"...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Another small curmudge... I offered the veg in my garden to neighbours while we were away; the courgette was still producing, and so were the beans. I'd taken off every courgette before we left 3 weeks ago, but returned to six large marrows... we've started eating the largest, which weighed in at 2.6Kg (not bad for 3 weeks' growth!), but I strongly suspect we may not get through all of them. Anyone got any good recipes? Marrow & something jam, perhaps??
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
The SM I use has changed the labelling on its fruit and veg. The label now says:
'No Date.
Saves waste'
Or some such. Right. So where before it had a date - so someone like me, who shops once a week - could buy stuff that potentially would last, it is now a lottery.
Do they think we're mug punters?
Shouldn't the label say:
'No date.
So it's not left on our shelves and goes off after you've paid for it - so it's your problem'
...I suppose the good thing is that by not printing that, they're saving on ink and power and thereby saving the world - and increasing their profits. Good old SM.
I too have noticed that recently but took a different view from you. I assumed ( rightly or wrongly ) that it was to try and persuade the silly shoppers not to discard perfectly edible food simply because there was a "Sell By" or "Best Before" date printed on the label. Considering the amount of food discarded by SM's and subsequently raided - by homeless people in particular - you don't hear of mass deaths due to food poisoning in the UK. Food banks and charity shops can be quite picky too in what they accept - peoples expectations have vastly changed and that applies to food too. Not saying that SM's aren't looking after themselves - same as any commercial organisation - but persuading people to actually look at the food they have bought rather than be dictated to by dates can surely only be a good thing ?
I'll admit I do look at the dates on things that go off fairly quickly like soft fruit and bagged salads, but I'm not bothered for things like citrus, root veg and so on that keep well anyway.
Edit: I don't mean I chuck them out if the date goes past before I've used them, I mean I check before I buy and pick the longest-dated ones, or don't buy them if dated today or tomorrow (unless vastly reduced in price and I know I'll use them within a few days).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
It's not about telling whether it's fit to eat at the time that you buy it, it's about making a sensible estimate about how long it might last when you get it home. Most things do last longer than the date shown, but if the date is tomorrow and I need it to last five or six days, that's pushing it a bit for the more perishable kinds of fruit and veg. There isn't always time to shop every few days.
I agree about cauliflower, and even when it's starting to look a bit on the manky side it's fine in soup or curry. I just like to know if the strawberries are likely to turn mushy in two days' time or six days' time.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
if you pick an apple from a tree, does it have a date on it? If you dig up a potato, does it have a date on it? However did the human race survive before the 1970s when sell by dates were introduced?
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Considering the amount of food discarded by SM's and subsequently raided - by homeless people in particular - you don't hear of mass deaths due to food poisoning in the UK.
Food banks and charity shops can be quite picky too in what they accept - peoples expectations have vastly changed and that applies to food too.
Not saying that SM's aren't looking after themselves - same as any commercial organisation - but persuading people to actually look at the food they have bought rather than be dictated to by dates can surely only be a good thing ?
If you dig up a potato, does it have a date on it?
However did the human race survive before the 1970s when sell by dates were introduced?