The Trouble with “Fresh” Produce – And Why We Need the High Street Back

Last year I made the switch from doing my weekly food shop at Aldi to Sainsbury’s. For ages, I’d assumed Sainsbury’s was way more expensive than Aldi or Lidl — but that’s not actually true anymore. Competition between supermarkets is so fierce now that they often price match or undercut each other if you shop around a bit.
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But price wasn’t the reason I jumped ship. It was the fact that I mostly buy fresh produce — meat, fruit, and veg — because I follow a whole food diet. And Aldi just wasn’t cutting it anymore.

In the meat aisle, it was hard to find anything that didn’t have a best-before date of tomorrow. And the fruit and veg? Half the stuff looked like it had seen better days. I only shop once a week, so I need my fresh food to last at least six days until I go again. I can’t be dealing with wilted spinach and squishy tomatoes by day two. So, off to Sainsbury’s I went.

And to be fair, for the past year, it’s been mostly fine. But lately, I’ve noticed their fresh produce isn’t so fresh either. The meat’s alright, but the fruit and veg are going the same way Aldi’s did — already halfway to compost by the time I get them home.

It got me thinking. These big supermarket chains are trying to supply everything to everywhere. It’s a massive operation. Take something simple like a bag of carrots — imagine trying to source tens of thousands of them, for stores up and down the country, every single day. And that’s just one item.

It’s not a rant — more an observation. But I honestly think we need to bring back more high street greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers, bakers, all of it. If you own a local shop like that, chances are you’ve got pride in what you’re selling. You’re choosing the best of the best, not just shifting bulk orders. You’re working on a smaller scale, so you can be more selective, and your customers can actually rely on quality.

Supermarkets are convenient, sure — but maybe we’ve sacrificed too much in the name of convenience. Maybe it’s time to start looking local again.