Dunnes Stores: Worse Value beaten by them all.

[arbitron]

We are serious milk drinkers in our house, and I have noticed that the milk from stores, other than Dunnes, besides sometimes tasting different, it also goes off much sooner, especially Aldi, Lidl and Tesco.

I drink 1-2 litres of milk a day. Sometimes I will carry a litre for a whole day in my bag, end up not needing it, and put it back in the fridge and it's still perfect a couple of days later. Every so often, I have to travel for work at short notice and arrive back to a few litres that are up to a week out of date. Again, they are perfect - taste normal, normal texture.

I will often buy a litre from wherever I pass when out and about so every month would have a mix of Aldi/Lidl/Dunnes/SuperValu/Tesco/Centra own brands and sometimes Avonmore. There are taste differences (Jersey cow milk is #1, indisputable) but my experience in terms of spoilage is similar.

I hear a lot of people talking about gone off milk and it makes me wonder why some have so much trouble. I do notice people will leave milk out on the counter for ages, so it gets warm and then is put back in the fridge, cycle repeating frequently. I also see people drinking directly from the container and putting it back in the fridge, which introduces bacteria. Or maybe it's cold chain issues local to stores?

 

[AndroidMan]

Every so often, I have to travel for work at short notice and arrive back to a few litres that are up to a week out of date. Again, they are perfect - taste normal, normal texture.

 

[arbitron]

Fear not:

The experimental results suggest that whole and 2% skim milk may be safe for consumption up to 5-6 days after expiration. Fat-free milk may be safe for consumption up to 10 days after expiration, possibly longer.

 

[Sue Ellen]

I have to travel for work at short notice and arrive back to a few litres that are up to a week out of date.

I haven't tried it myself but friends have told me that they freeze milk regularly and it does not affect taste or quality.

 

[Monbretia]

I haven't tried it myself but friends have told me that they freeze milk regularly and it does not affect taste or qualty

I only have fresh milk about once a month when I do a fresh shop, I leave out a carton that day and all the rest goes in the freezer. My Dad used to drink milk every day and we bought a small second hand under counter freezer and stuck it under the stairs and filled it with milk and bread, saved a lot of small shopping trips!

 

[Annieindublin]

We find that since we got a new fridge a year ago everything keeps that bit better than before. It’s very large so it’s not as crammed as the old one, milk keeps for several days beyond the date, even opened. Unopened is good for 10 days extra at least.

 

[Monbretia]

It depends too how many times a fridge is opened, I see my grandkids are forever opening the fridge and gazing in aimlessly for ages! Milk then as it's usually stored in the door is not getting the best of the cold temps that food inside the fridge is getting. I have never had milk go off despite taking a while to use a carton as I don't use much, the dates on them are very long these days and with correct storage it easily lasts that long, the door really isn't the best place but most convenient.

 

[AndroidMan]

the door really isn't the best place but most convenient.

I stopped putting milk on the door holder years ago and I do notice less milk goes off when it is stored on the shelf