I am wondering how long supermarkets store vegetables before putting them on sale?

Question

There are 2 reasons why I ask. (1) I have noticed that many items have very short sell/use-by dates, often only 2-3 days maximum.

(2) My parents have an allotment. The onions they picked last year are still fine and perfectly edible. However, some of the supermarket onions that I purchased last week (before I was able to get some more stock from my parents!) are already going soft and rotten!

Answer 1

My nutritionist told me they can be stored up to a year before they make it to the shelves.Put me right off.I live in the countryside and get my fruit and veg fresh now.Even markets are better than supermarkets.x

Answer 2

Most supermarkets get their supplies in as fast as possible and have them ready for sale the same day they arrive. Most problems occur once they are on sale. If the stock is not rotated properly, old produce can stay at the back of a shelf or the bottom of a container, and they have to be handled properly. Onions are a good example of this. Store them correctly and they'll last for a long time, but if they are roughly handled etc, they will deteriorate. Different produce have widely varying shelf lives and they way they are handled and stored makes a huge difference.

Answer 3

The question is how long do the suppliers keep them in stock. A super market will put it out in a matter of days as they need to sell it. A supplier will keep it in stock until it has been sold to anyone willing. Not to mention once it is picked then it needs to be sold to a supplier, and check where the fruit/veggies come from a lot of fruit comes from Argentina, meaning that it has spent ages getting to this country alone and is brought in 1000's of kilos which would mean the supermarkets will be buying the same crop for a long time. You buy one apple on Monday and the one you buy next week it will be the same crop of apple they have just preserved it with freezing most likely. Not to mention that if it came buy boat that means it is quite likely the boat was infested with rats and if it came buy plane then it would be full of fumes from the plane and nitrogen for preserving.

Answer 4

I used to work in the produce department of a grocery store. We put in an order every other day. We basically took the stuff from the truck and put it out in the store. Nothing EVER sat in our coolers more than a week. I can't tell you how long stuff sits in the warehouse before arriving at the store, though.

Answer 5

Fruit is picked before it is ripe then stored out of sunlight to extent its storage ive seen on documentarys up to 6 months, we live in a state where it is illeagal to import bananas they are picked for 3 months of the year but we buy them all year round, at the the end of winter they get really expensive, so i beleive they can store them for over 9 months, this must apply to all seasonal produce that we can purchase all year round!

Answer 6

i work in a supermarket, fresh veg section.
firstly the lorries are chilled cus the majority of stock is suppose to be chilled(bananas come wrapped in a duvet type of thing to keep the cold off them)-they could be in there for awhile....of course potatoes, onions, bananas, and citrus fruit shouldnt be chilled, just left at ambient temperature

dont know how long theyre at the warehouse though, sorry

Answer 7

Upto 1yr,fruit,veg.are stored,left in storage,then flown over here,where they're on the shelfs.most supermarkets do this,the best supermaket to get the best quality,and freshness,is WAITROSE.I would take them back from where you got them from,along with the recipe if you have one,if not don't worry.

Answer 8

usually vegetables go on the shelf as soon as they are delivered (depending on space availability).