My neighbors and I have been complaining that over 25% of the gallon jugs we've been buying the last few months go foul well before the expiration date. And to clarify we're not talking about milk we've opened and not consumed for over a week. We're finding it both after 2 - 3 days after opening and immediately upon opening.

With the price of milk this is maddening.

Online comments in a number of places indicate that this is not a situation unique to one super market in our area.

Although even more expensive, half gallons in waxed paper cartons have not evidenced any of this.

Are any of you in other areas of the country experiencing this?

Would love to know what has changed that is responsible for this disgusting trend.

We go through a couple gallons a week & haven't seen this down here in Houston.

Yes. Just happened to us last week. MN

There have been at least 100 fire/explosions at beef plants, pork plants, chicken plants, beef farms, dairy farms (e.g. last month's 18,000 dairy cows killed in an explosion), hog farms, poultry farms, etc. since January 2021. Might be causing more consolidation which could mean more days in transportation before getting to the consumer (i.e. more of the shelf-life used up before purchase).

Are you storing your milk in the refrigerator door or a regular shelf? The door is the worst place to store as it's the warmest temperature especially if you have multiple person household where the door is opened frequently. Might be worth having a thermometer next to the milk to see if the fridge is keeping it below 40F.

quote:

Although even more expensive, half gallons in waxed paper cartons have not evidenced any of this.

Around here, the waxed paper cartons tend to be ultra-pasteurized. Are you referring to regular milk or ultra-pasteurized? The reason I ask is that it wouldn't be apples to apples comparison as ultra-pasteurized lasts weeks not days.

We buy our milk from Aldi and I’ve been noticing it’s starting to turn on us like a day or two before the expiration date when in the past it would easily go another week.

It’s not just you. Maybe they are stockpiling milk and holding it and then bottling?

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Around here, the waxed paper cartons tend to be ultra-pasteurized. Are you referring to regular milk or ultra-pasteurized? The reason I ask is that it wouldn't be apples to apples comparison as ultra-pasteurized lasts weeks not days.

Plain old 2% (no growth hormones) milk.
And stored on the bottom shelf in the rear.

I wonder whether it has anything to do with the fact that the cardboard half-gallon containers are opaque and the gallon jugs are translucent.

Does exposure to light affect the milk's shelf life?

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Originally posted by V-Tail:
I wonder whether it has anything to do with the fact that the cardboard half-gallon containers are opaque and the gallon jugs are translucent.

I doubt this as for years and years we bought milk in plastic jugs without issues. This is a recent development.

Bald1, I haven't experienced what you're describing, but I can offer this:
I'm not necessarily all-in with the organic goods, but I've been buying organic milk for a couple of years now. The expiration dates are way long, and it does hold up well.

It's the ultra-pasteurizing not the organic that is driving the loooong expiration dates

Inland north westerner here and yes, most assuredly yes, I have noticed the same thing for at least a couple months now.
The GF thinks I'm wrong (shocking I know), but her sniffer doesn't work near as well as mine.

Reading some posts above, I'd wager it does have to do with fewer nearby distribution centers having any milk to deliver. Makes sense to me anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

Bald1, I haven't experienced what you're describing

vt -- you might have missed this. You are showing the half-gallon waxed cardboard carton, that bald1 says he has no problem with. His problem (and other posters, as well) is with the translucent plastic gallon jugs.

Yessir, I overlooked that. Thank you.

And thank you, tatortodd, for pointing out the ultra-pasteurizing.

quote:

Originally posted by apprentice:

Reading some posts above, I'd wager it does have to do with fewer nearby distribution centers having any milk to deliver.

That doesn't account for the reports that the problem seems to be associated with the plastic gallon jugs, and not with the waxed cardboard half-gallon containers.

Over the many years that I bottled cleaning products for use with my rental carpet cleaners, I learned to avoid translucent plastic jugs, and stick with the opaque ones. Some of the properties of the cleaner were definitely affected by light, over time. The translucent jugs definitely had a significantly shorter shelf life. I have no idea whether this translates to milk, but based on my experience with faster deterioration of the cleaning products in transluscent jugs, that would be my first question.

Some brands of milk, T.G. Lee comes to mind, use opaque plastic for their gallon jugs. I'd be curious as to whether milk in these jugs goes bad as quickly as in the more common transluscent jugs.

Late last year and early this year there were numerous threads on local websites about this problem at one particular supermarket chain here in SE Michigan. Have not seen any updates in several months so I assume it’s no longer a problem.

No problems here.
Have a special compartment in the door, which is colder than the rest of the frig, which helps keep it fresh.

I'd check your frig and try to maintain 36-38 degrees F.

Strange. We buy gallon jugs of 1% at Walmart, their generic brand, all the time. We have never had this problem. In fact, I am sitting here at my computer drinking a glass of it with a PB cookie and the date on the jug is May 21st. It tastes just fine. Oh, I got my laser gun and checked the temp of our fridge and it showed 38 degrees.

I stopped buying Purity 1 gal sweet acidophilus because oif the same problem. It comes in yellow jugs that can not be seen through. I thought that it may be the sweet acidophilus culture or that the milk was left out of refridgeration for some time. I have switched to regular Publix brand 2% 1/2 gal & the milk stays ok after the expiration date.

I have always attributed it to seasonal and experience this every year in warmer weather. There's simply more opportunity for the jugs to be exposed to warmth in transportation, between refrigerated trucks and supermarket cooler, shopping cart to my truck, and in my truck for the 25 mile trip home.

I live (mostly) alone and buy milk in gallon plastic jugs so it generally takes me a little over a week to go through so when buying I try to be sure there's 8-10 days remaining. One thing to keep in mind (especially with gallon jugs) is that when giving the sniff test even though the milk jug smells sour it may only be the old. dried residue in the jug. After pouring the milk into a glass it smells and tastes fine.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
I'd check your frig and try to maintain 36-38 degrees F.

I'm just going to guess that we don't have enough information. The OP needs a thermometer. He should stick it on the side of the milk jog Any time it gets above 40 he's solved his problem. Ifi it gets above 50, its not the dairy or grocery, its him.

So some rules...don't take the jug out or the fridge, pour a glass and put it righ back. Don't store it up front, but rather to the back of the shelf. Some tests he could try, buy a different brand of milk from a different store.