Tesco Fruit and Veg Quality

donutheadhomer

Whichever Tesco I buy fruit and veg from it is always appalling: peppers brown and mildewed in inside, onion with brown smelly rings inside them, apple rotten on inside and oranges all dry and sour on inside.

What is it with Tesco fruit?

I've spoken t a few people about this: family and friends all say they've experienced this too and its not just a local store - its every Tesco I've ever bought fruit from.

These days I now shop in Dunnes for fresh fruit and Veg but this is very awkward as Tesco is right next to me.

Has anyone else found this? The fruit and veg look fine but awful on the inside. Also the shelf life is very poor.

07438991

I think it is because the fruit/veg is refrigerated or frozen in storage and they get wet or moist when they begin to thaw out...? This could be a long shot :rolleyes:

Anyways, Lidl or Aldi seem to to get deals on fruit & veg for 39/49cents every week.

Alzy

yeah I noticed this too. Not always but if i need lets say 1 onion , I buy 3 as from past experience when I cut the onion it was starting to get brown inside.

The fruit never seems to last very long so I make sure and use it quickly.

Most times now I go elsewhere .. a local veg shop which is cheaper and a better selection and quality on offer. I just wouldn't stock up on fruit and veg from there , just enough for the day I buy or at a push the next day.

donutheadhomer

Alzy wrote: »

yeah I noticed this too. Not always but if i need lets say 1 onion , I buy 3 as from past experience when I cut the onion it was starting to get brown inside.

The fruit never seems to last very long so I make sure and use it quickly.

Most times now I go elsewhere .. a local veg shop which is cheaper and a better selection and quality on offer. I just wouldn't stock up on fruit and veg from there , just enough for the day I buy or at a push the next day.

crazy though isn't it. very few fruit/veg stores around these days too and not really open in evenings
Thinking about it - tesco has been like this a long time - bananas also - frozen almost and burnt with frost.
Perhaps they don't realise fruit doesn't freeze without burning

noodler

I like their Round Lettuce but I must say it only stays good for two days.

No problems with their tomatoes, peppers or red onions though.

I have to pick through their bananas to find a clean one in the mornings though!

donutheadhomer

noodler wrote: »

I like their Round Lettuce but I must say it only stays good for two days.

No problems with their tomatoes, peppers or red onions though.

I have to pick through their bananas to find a clean one in the mornings though!

Wait until you get one of those brown inside peppers

fasttalkerchat

07438991 wrote: »

I think it is because the fruit/veg is refrigerated or frozen in storage and they get wet or moist when they begin to thaw out...? This could be a long shot :rolleyes:

Anyways, Lidl or Aldi seem to to get deals on fruit & veg for 39/49cents every week.

That's it exactly. LIDL is one of the few who don't refrigerate their F&V at some stage. The quality you see in store is the quality you get at home when you use the product.

07438991

See I'm deadly...

I actually knew what I was talking about (kinda)

For convenience, we do weekly shopping trips but a lot tends to go-off after a few days. End up having to make a stir-fry, fajitas or veg soup! Tesco you should be ashamed of yourself! :mad:

GetWithIt

EurasianBadger wrote: »

Whichever Tesco I buy fruit and veg from it is always appalling: peppers brown and mildewed in inside, onion with brown smelly rings inside them, apple rotten on inside and oranges all dry and sour on inside.

What is it with Tesco fruit?

In fairness, I've never experienced this. I've sometimes seen badly bruised fruit and veg in various convenience stores, but that's only because there are about 3 bananas and they would have been mauled by 100 people by the time you see it.

I've never seen a brown pepper anywhere. If the fruit and veg was so bad why did you buy it in the first place?

Is it a case the fruit and veg went that way after a couple of weeks in the bottom of your fridge maybe?

07438991

Will I start a thread where we can all post up pictures of our rotten fruit (especially the brown onions & peppers)...? Who's with me?

Just outta curiosity, does anyone find their bread now gets mouldly before it has even reached the expiry date? Really pees me off...

Also, FYI - we have started to put some veg in the fridge and remove the clingfilm/plastic packaging and are getting a few more days outta them. Obvious I know

Alzy

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

That's it exactly. LIDL is one of the few who don't refrigerate their F&V at some stage. The quality you see in store is the quality you get at home when you use the product.

thanks for that I'll check Lidl for F+V next time ... and yeah taking off the plastic and packaging does seem to give it a longer shelf time. I don't keep much in the fridge tbh as I found it lasts longer out .. but with winter here it will prob be warmer in the fridge lol

donutheadhomer

07438991 wrote: »

Will I start a thread where we can all post up pictures of our rotten fruit (especially the brown onions & peppers)...? Who's with me?

Just outta curiosity, does anyone find their bread now gets mouldly before it has even reached the expiry date? Really pees me off...

Also, FYI - we have started to put some veg in the fridge and remove the clingfilm/plastic packaging and are getting a few more days outta them. Obvious I know

my wife reckons if the fruit is not in contact with another fruit then it will last longer

07438991

Alzy wrote: »

thanks for that I'll check Lidl for F+V next time ... and yeah taking off the plastic and packaging does seem to give it a longer shelf time. I don't keep much in the fridge tbh as I found it lasts longer out .. but with winter here it will prob be warmer in the fridge lol

eh.. hem... Alzy, I think I actually recommended Lidl and Aldi first and even highlighted there unbeatable prices... :rolleyes:

The cheek of some ppl...

07438991

EurasianBadger wrote: »

my wife reckons if the fruit is not in contact with another fruit then it will last longer

You saying my fruit and veg is dying because they feel isolated???

The cheek of some people, FYI - my fecking fruit & veg bowl is like Noah's Arc, I match everything in pairs!!!

Alzy

07438991 wrote: »

eh.. hem... Alzy, I think I actually recommended Lidl and Aldi first and even highlighted there unbeatable prices... :rolleyes:

The cheek of some ppl...

eh em you mentioned them in relation to prices but hey if ya need the attention so much wow thanks, I'm overjoyed wooohoooo :rolleyes: tehe

Their fresh food in general is muck. I've stopped shopping there except maybe to grab something in a hurry. Dunnes, Superquinn, Super Valu, Aldi and Lidl are all much better quality. M&S have fantastic fruit and veg but it's very expensive

dudara

Moved to Fruit & Drink

dudara

dudara

dudara wrote: »

Moved to Fruit & Drink

New forum?

noodler

Yeah, some points about this.

Its pretty obvious if stuff goes off in your fridge drawers and you put fesh stuff in to replace it....then the fresh stuff will go off quicker (you need to clean out your drawer!).

Alzy

noodler wrote: »

Yeah, some points about this.

Its pretty obvious if stuff goes off in your fridge drawers and you put fesh stuff in to replace it....then the fresh stuff will go off quicker (you need to clean out your drawer!).

dunno about other people but my fridge gets a good cleaning every few days.
I think what most people find is even when you get home and use some stuff it's already on the turn, which shouldn't happen. I worked in the F+V market so I have a good eye for produce but often onions and as mentioned peppers can bruised or starting to brown when cut.

If not storing food correctly is the problem then you have no one else to blame

07438991

Please note Alzy that I have given you my thanks but many decide to remove it as I am still contemplating whether your response is genuine/sincere or not!

So for the time been it stays!

Corsendonk

EurasianBadger wrote: »

Whichever Tesco I buy fruit and veg from it is always appalling: peppers brown and mildewed in inside, onion with brown smelly rings inside them, apple rotten on inside and oranges all dry and sour on inside.

What is it with Tesco fruit?

I've spoken t a few people about this: family and friends all say they've experienced this too and its not just a local store - its every Tesco I've ever bought fruit from.

These days I now shop in Dunnes for fresh fruit and Veg but this is very awkward as Tesco is right next to me.

Has anyone else found this? The fruit and veg look fine but awful on the inside. Also the shelf life is very poor.

Can I ask was it loose onions, peppers and oranges that you had a problem with?

irish_goat

Tesco fruit and veg is usually grand for me. They use a lot of Irish suppliers so it's not like it's been travelling far/a long time.

07438991

For me it was only onions, they came in a net. also mushrooms with cling film and lettuce... oh, and bread...?

Never heard of brown peppers?

Hey Alzy, I've changed my mind and removes that thanks!!! ahahaha - Don't you even think about it!!!

Corsendonk

irish_goat wrote: »

Tesco fruit and veg is usually grand for me. They use a lot of Irish suppliers so it's not like it's been travelling far/a long time.

They and most of the other supermarkets use mostly the same pool of Irish growers so if you have quality problems with Irish produce it does point at a problem with what Tesco do with produce on their end.

donutheadhomer

07438991 wrote: »

For me it was only onions, they came in a net. also mushrooms with cling film and lettuce... oh, and bread...?

Never heard of brown peppers?

Hey Alzy, I've changed my mind and removes that thanks!!! ahahaha - Don't you even think about it!!!

not brown peppers - just the seeds/pulp that was brown, not prepacked ones but I don't often buy prepack just loose - same with onions

donutheadhomer

noodler wrote: »

Yeah, some points about this.

Its pretty obvious if stuff goes off in your fridge drawers and you put fesh stuff in to replace it....then the fresh stuff will go off quicker (you need to clean out your drawer!).

of course I clean the fridge - also why would I keep bananas in a fridge? or onions

mactire

went to tesco this evening and bought 24 lemons, (no i don't snack on them like apples XD, i was making limoncello). having peeled the zest (leaving the pith in place) i then juiced each one. not a single one had the refreshing, invigorating lemony smell that i love so much. dull yellow inside, smelled vaguely like fermentation might have been occuring inside in the flesh. for the most part they actually smelled a little off-putting.
i'm very tempted to return the remains of said lemons right now, and though it's a 24hr tesco here, it is 4am, and i dont think i have the energy for it now!
for produce that is imported (like citrus fruits etc) i will never buy form tesco again (this is not my first dissapointment)
i just hope the rind is slower to decompose and hasnt spoiled the litre of vodka i'm steeping it in! :S

donutheadhomer

Like most of my family and friends I've stopped buying fruit/vegetables/meats in Tesco because of our bad experiences with their inferior products.

Cardinal Richelieu

mactire wrote: »

went to tesco this evening and bought 24 lemons, (no i don't snack on them like apples XD, i was making limoncello). having peeled the zest (leaving the pith in place) i then juiced each one. not a single one had the refreshing, invigorating lemony smell that i love so much. dull yellow inside, smelled vaguely like fermentation might have been occuring inside in the flesh. for the most part they actually smelled a little off-putting.
i'm very tempted to return the remains of said lemons right now, and though it's a 24hr tesco here, it is 4am, and i dont think i have the energy for it now!
for produce that is imported (like citrus fruits etc) i will never buy form tesco again (this is not my first dissapointment)
i just hope the rind is slower to decompose and hasnt spoiled the litre of vodka i'm steeping it in! :S

Loose Lemons?

Hande hoche!

Like others, pretty much switched from Tesco to dunnes,supervalue etc. for fruit and veg.

diddlybit

mactire wrote: »

not a single one had the refreshing, invigorating lemony smell that i love so much. dull yellow inside, smelled vaguely like fermentation might have been occuring inside in the flesh. for the most part they actually smelled a little off-putting.

I've found this. I've been trying to replicate a pasta dish I made in Canada a couple of years ago and it's never been as good since. I've concluded that it's probably the Tesco lemons which are sour, bitter and un-lemony. (I know that lemons are in general sour, but I'm looking for fragrant sour, not yucky sour.)

I particularily hate Tesco's salad leaves which turn to mush after about two days. Bought rocket and mixed leaves in the market in Temple Bar a couple of months ago and thay kept for over a week. They might be a little more expensive, but considering the amount of food that I end up throwing out, it's worth it.

rich.d.berry

I tend to spread my shopping around between Tesco, Dunnes, Lidl and occasionally Marks & Spencer. I cannot say that I have noticed any major difference in quality in the fresh produce between the different stores. M&S Tries to sell a premium brand, but I regularly find the same quality sold elsewhere for less.

I did once have a run in with a packer at Tesco who was bent over a cardboard box of bananas throwing them about 4 or 5 feet into the plastic slanted display racks. I went and asked the supervisor why they employ tossers in their fruit and vegetables section. He was a bit taken aback until I explained what I witnessed. I also said that if my bananas were bruised then they would be returned for a refund. To be sure though, I selected my bunch from the yet to be unpacked cardboard box.

Besides that incident, I have had few issues with Tescos. I purchased watermelons in Dunnes before Christmas and both were bad when I cut them open. They were returned for a full refund. So, on balance I'd say that Tescos is no better or worse than any other supermarket I use.