milk going bad way too early (San Antonio, Mart: sale, refrigerator, water heater)

[L210]

Except for Hill Country milk, I've never had a problem with milk purchased from HEB.

[smuboy86]

Originally Posted by Rustybolt

Wish those of us in San Antonio had such choices. We are stuck with the monopoly HEB here in San Antonio.

You can always buy milk at trader joes, wal mart, target, whole foods. HEB is not the only choice.

[Rustybolt]

[KM1174]

definitely going to try a different place this time. double checked fridge, it is indeed cold enough (sitting at 38F right now). freezer is at 31-32C.

[TexasRedneck]

If you're storing frozen foods at 31-32 degrees C, it isn't frozen....suspect you mean 31-32 degrees F - which is still borderline. And 38 degrees is borderline on milk - at 40, it WILL start to sour. I'd highly suggest dropping the fridge to 35 degrees, and the freezer down to zero or less.

[WVREDLEG]

Most likely the milk has been at higher temperatures long enough for bacteria to multiply--as stated by several already. Milk off the store shelf is heated to 145 deg F (cold Pasteurization) or 161 deg F (hot Pasteurization) then quickly cooled to below 40 deg F. This kills the dangerous bacteria. If the milk temp is above 40, it will start the spoiling process, even if you cool it again--there is no remedy...all you do is prolong the process of spoiling by re-cooling it. I would not be surprised that a large chain might have a QC gap in their supply chain.

FWIW, your commute and storage during transportation can also be a factor...if you are bringing your groceries home in a hot trunk or sitting in traffic....even 20 minutes is enough to bring the cold goods to an unsafe temp. Sorry to sound preachy.... I am the son and grandson of dairy and beef cattle farmers who also had a small grocery store.

[prim8]

Getting an insulated reusable bag or cooler to transport your milk and other cold/frozen items might help.
We get our milk at Costco and use bags because we live 20 minutes away in good driving conditions.

[Azure110]

I would think it is near impossible to avoid spoilage as the milk will go above 40°F at some point in the logistics route between the dairy and the store shelf.

[TexasRedneck]

Originally Posted by Azure110

I would think it is near impossible to avoid spoilage as the milk will go above 40°F at some point in the logistics route between the dairy and the store shelf.

Shouldn't. They're VERY sensitive to that issue. Thing is, the OP has the problem from multiple sources, which leads me to suspect the refrigeration at his residence. The hold temperatures he presented are entirely too borderline for my liking. We actually hold our fridge at 33-34 degrees, and the freezer at 15 BELOW zero.

[Deep Forest]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

Shouldn't. They're VERY sensitive to that issue. Thing is, the OP has the problem from multiple sources, which leads me to suspect the refrigeration at his residence. The hold temperatures he presented are entirely too borderline for my liking. We actually hold our fridge at 33-34 degrees, and the freezer at 15 BELOW zero.

My fridge is set the same as yours and I had a terrible time with the milk from WalMart. It would never last til the expiration date, 3-5 days max. I now buy my milk from HEB...much longer shelf life.