Wellcome supermarket ... food safety standards?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
#1

I just returned from our neighborhood Wellcome across the road … I have no idea what criteria they have for food safety and hygiene.

In the fresh meat department they had some meat discounted but even if they would have given me 10,000NT$ on top I wouldn’t have accepted it … some liver had turned black and was probably already decomposing … a discounted pork bone smelled … well, real bad, like rotting meat and had signs of mold … some chicken legs turned a strange dark red almost black colour and there was some more meat that was really past it’s good to eat, even for animals date … I have no idea how the discounted fish was, didn’t dare to touch it …

They also have regularly fruits and vegetables discounted that would better used as fertilizer … not sold at a discount

I also noticed several times that our Wellcome had inconsistencies in their price labeling, the same product placed on different spots in the store labeled different, prices at the check out more expensive than labeled on the shelve … etc. to many to write down

So, what are the criteria and standards …?

#2

Standards? How long have you been here?

#3

I live on Nan-Jing E. Rd so there are 4 Wellcome stores that I choose from. I’ll admit, one of them has kind of a rank smell throughout the store, but the others seem to be clean and what not. I’ve noticed some discolored meat on discount, but nothing too disgusting. Not yet anyway. I’ll be on the lookout though!

#4

There are plenty of “standards”, just a lack of enforcement of said standards. I guess you could raise the issue with Wellcome head office or report it to the relevant government agency.

#5

Yeah, you have to be careful at Wellcome. BTW, most locals buy their fresh meat and seafood at the wet market in the morning, and not only is it cheaper than Wellcome, it’s fresher too, so I recommend everyone shop at the wet market if you can.

#6

I’ve never liked the term ‘wet market’. They are fresh though. I just don’t know if I need my chicken that fresh.

#7

[quote=“Dragonbones”]Yeah, you have to be careful at Wellcome. BTW, most locals buy their fresh meat and seafood at the wet market in the morning, and not only is it cheaper than Wellcome, it’s fresher too, so I recommend everyone shop at the wet market if you can.[/quote]I dunno, I feel Wellcome would have better standards. At least it’s cleaner.

#8

I really like the morning markets. Fish still flopping around and vegys that were pulled the evening before. However, like the poster before, I have a hard time with the nervous looking chickens in their little cages. Wellcome is simply not the place for fresh anything. I have even seen the milk next to it’s expiry date. I bought a piece of frozen side pork one time without checking the date. When I was putting it away, I noticed it was almost a year out of date. It got dumped. Canned goods, no problem, but they seem to be a bit more expensive than Rt Mart. By the way, I found that if I pass one of the little hole in the wall traditional grocery stores, I can usually buy basic canned vegetables cheaper than anywhere else. Things like canned corn and the like are readily stocked and cheaper. Bags of flour, pinto beans and sugar are a load cheaper. I would also avoid the “fresh” meat out of the little blue truck. It may be fresh but . . . I’m going to pass. However, at the morning market, there are several stands that have some decent looking cuts. They have difficulty cutting to order so I usually get that cut at my local RT Mart. Once you get a USDA chart off the net, these butchers can do just about anything you want. I even got a nice smaller piece of prime rib that fit in my rather large toaster oven. Capped it with rock salt and . . WOW! Had prime rib sandwhiches for a couple days after the cuts were devoured, then beef noodle soup for a few days after that. I think there may still be a frozen container in the freezer. Hope it’s not off.

EDIT: Probably belongs in the Food Forum.

#9

I would think so too. Or how about those guys who sell hunks of meat that are hanging in the back of a blue truck covered in flies? How about those standards?

#10

Ditto that. I never buy anything marked down at Wellcome no matter how cheap they are. These are usually placed in a cart or a trolley sitting in the middle of an aisle. You can tell the food has gone bad or on the verge of going bad and the supermarket is just trying to make a buck from it instead of perishing it.

#11

I bought some discounted cheese there -only 95 NT! What a treat! Except that I threw it all away after taking off the vacuum sealed plastic since it was hard with bits of mold on it…

#12

Why not just take it back for a refund? And the one near me has posters saying that they guarantee to honour the lowest price in case of pricing differences.
Can you imagine an obasan taking something home, finding it’s sub-par and just throwing it away?

#13

[quote=“sandman”]
Can you imagine an obasan taking something home, finding it’s sub-par and just throwing it away?[/quote]

They’d sooner be shot!

#14

Ahem. Wellcome discounts things when they start to go bad. Now you know better. :laughing:

#15

My worst experiences in Taiwan took place in western-style grocery stores. On more than one occasion I have sworn never to return to various supermarkets. The supermarket near my former home in Tainan routinely played vulgar music, such as Eminem.

I am temporarily in the United States now, and I am frequently taken aback by how polite strangers are.

#16

Wait untill I post my experience - story + pictures- within RT Mart on fuxing/civic boulevard. A refund only? no kidden’…
Consumer complaints and mass awareness will teach those “modern (pffff…) trade channels” that consumers become more critical and do not accept a dime reduction for things that straydogs would left untouched.

#17

BP -
Sounds like you wandered into the ‘Restaurant Supply Section’ by accident.

Just need a good packing down with baking soda…take care of all of those ‘off flavors.’
(a well known Chinese restaurant trick for meat ‘out of date’)