Sell by dates

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Lyric
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Sell by dates

Postby Lyric » Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:56 pm

We all know "sell by" can be viewed flexibly in Spain and I actually thought things were getting better, however today I had to take a picture.
Ladies and gentlemen I give you Supersol, Torrox Costa 12.00 today the 9th June 2016 :
20160609_115523_846x600_800x567.jpg

El Cid
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby El Cid » Thu Jun 09, 2016 3:47 pm

They are not sell by dates, they are best before dates. They are probably perfectly OK for another month.

Sid

katy
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby katy » Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:09 pm

I bought a packet of Muesli from Supersol, Marbella. Tasted vile, when I looked at the packaging it was a year out of date, think I posted on here. The Manager gave a shrug and told me to get another off the shelf, they were all out of date. I know they say the date is only a guideline but that seems to be pushing it. I wouldn't buy it. Our Supersol cool fridges never seemed cool enough anyway.

Even if it is only a guideline Waitrose sell all their stuff reduced the same day as the sell by date.

El Cid
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby El Cid » Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:38 pm

It so depends on the actual product. When my MIL died we cleared out her house. In the kitchen we found a pack of M&S merangues. The packaging looked very dated but the real clue was in the price which was two and sixpence! They were at least 40 years old - we ate them and they were perfectly edible.

On the other hand, I recently froze some Morcilla. Six months later I cooked it and was absolutely inedible. It was not decomposition, but a case of rancidity. I have seen the same happen with frozen salami and even smoked mackerel.

Sid

Lyric
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby Lyric » Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:47 pm

On the basis of 'probably' I have written to Benecol, with the photo to ask.

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costakid
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby costakid » Fri Jun 10, 2016 8:46 am

It may be best before but in the Uk they would be off the shelf. Why not the same in Spain as were all one apparently .

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Re: Sell by dates

Postby Devils Advocate » Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:24 am

If you are paying "full up" for a product it's a disgrace to be offered items which are outside the manufacturers "best before" date.

These should be in the half price bin (even then I wouldn't touch them, yep call me fussy) or better still donated to the needy.
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El Cid
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby El Cid » Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:32 am

You're quite right DA, but Supersol is a crap supermarket so it doesn't surprise me.

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Re: Sell by dates

Postby Devils Advocate » Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:56 am

El Cid wrote:You're quite right DA, but Supersol is a crap supermarket so it doesn't surprise me.

Sid

Hahaha :mrgreen: Well explained Sid!!!
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Lyric
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby Lyric » Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:05 am

Just received (I did not really expect an answer)
Dear Mr Lyric,


Thank you for contacting us regarding Benecol.

The dates on our products are best before dates. We do not recommend consuming the products after this date.


Kind Regards

Jo
Benecol Helpdesk

While I agree that Supersol is rubbish and expensive, it does have products that others do not.

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Re: Sell by dates

Postby Devils Advocate » Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:07 am

Lyric wrote:Just received (I did not really expect an answer)


While I agree that Supersol is rubbish and expensive, it does have products that others do not.
Sure does, out of date Benecol for one :mrgreen:

Good of the guys to get back to you too!
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El Cid
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby El Cid » Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:41 am

Lyric wrote:
While I agree that Supersol is rubbish and expensive, it does have products that others do not.
Fair comment. The one in Nerja caters for foreigners and has a lot of foreign products which is the only reason I go there (infrequently).

Sid

markwilding
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby markwilding » Fri Jun 10, 2016 12:43 pm

costakid wrote:It may be best before but in the Uk they would be off the shelf. Why not the same in Spain as were all one apparently .
This happens in UK stores as well. I saw this in a smaller supermarket that was featured on TV and it was a constant problem getting people to check products regularly.
I bought a lot of tins of Spanish style lentils and some of alubias a la riojana, 4 years ago or so and there are 3 tins left way past the sell by date. I'll get round to eating them one day.

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Wicksey
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jun 10, 2016 1:15 pm

We don't worry about sell by dates too much. Being brought up before they were invented we do the 'sniff test' and go by that. Fresh poultry and fish I am more careful with rarely going a day or two over the sell by dates.

On the other hand a pack of feta from Lidl with a sellby date of Oct 2016 was decidedly sour when we opened it a week after buying it, and ended up in the bin. I couldn't be bothered to try to take it back and they could have argued it was improperly stored (although more likely by them than by me!).

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Re: Sell by dates

Postby peteroldracer » Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:26 pm

I think the Spanish supermarkets have worked out that it is cheaper and easier to simply replace any goods complained about ( which in our experience they all do) than to have proper stock control. The odds on anything not crawling with bacteria being eaten and doing harm are astronomical!
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby tgreen92 » Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:27 pm

Oh boy. My local supermarkets are notorious for this as well, and it isn't just the best before use products either. I've bought cheese before without realising it was two months out of date. It seems to happen more in the local shops than the big franchises, I suppose they just can't afford not to sell them, but in that case they should put things on offer when they're approaching the sell by date.

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Re: Sell by dates

Postby El Cid » Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:44 pm

I think it must be the difference in attitude between the Brits and the Spanish. Judging by the reports of food wastage in the UK caused by no one seeming to understand the difference between a sell by and best before date and being terrified that a tin of beans one day past its date might kill them, the retailers are particularly rigid on dates. The bins outside are full of perfectly edible food.

In Spain I don't think the locals have the same attitude and use a bit more common sense on this matter, with the result that supermarkets get very few complaints about dates so are not so rigorous about removing out of date stock.

To be fair, with perishable food, there are special bins in most supermarkets where close to date stock is for sale at reduced prices. Lidl, for example, often have products on the shelf with seriously large discounts due to the date.

Sid

katy
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Re: Sell by dates

Postby katy » Sat Jun 11, 2016 9:19 am

I think food waste is more prevalent amongst younger busier families. Daughter throws a lot if fresh stuff away. They try to buy for the week with an online shop and then things happen, they go out to eat instead. Doesn't all go to waste though, she feeds a family of foxes. Whereas we have more time on our hands, shop a few times a week at butchers and Waitrose, get a free newspaper too. If our plans change and we have fresh meat that I think won't get eaten timely I pop it in the freezer. I hate waste but no way would I touch out of date stuff, not worth the risk. I have occasionally taken out of date medicine and pills.

We were once sent a hamper from El Corte Ingles with Xmas goodies. The chocolate liquors were a year out of date, also some figs. Probably left over from the previous Xmas. They did come to the house to collect and replace though but a bit cheeky.


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