Board 8 > Food is lower quality than it used to be.

(+) Yeah! (+)

This is something that's difficult to quantify because no one talks about it and you can't directly compare versions of food that don't exist anymore, but yeah, food as a whole used to just be flat-out better. Better quality, better ingredients (less filler), better tasting. The simplest example I can think of is how a lot of ice cream can no longer be legally called ice cream - https://www.allrecipes.com/article/difference-between-frozen-dessert-and-ice-cream/, but the phenomenon is prevalent from store-bought food to sit-down restaurants to basic food fast.

It's been getting worse consistently for years as companies cut more and more corners, but I feel like the pandemic accelerated the process dramatically. And I'm sure people will come in and blame it on nostalgia - which is maybe a factor, but some of this stuff I've been eating consistently every month for over a decade, and the difference is noticeable.

P.S. Stuff is getting smaller too. Look up shrinkflation! It sucks.
P.S.S. I didn't get COVID, my sense of taste is the same lmao

Definitely agree, but its not unexpected. Welcome to a world where people care about making the cheapest product and charging as much for it as they can. Double stuff Oreos today are what regular Oreos used to look like filling wise and now those regular Oreos have like a penny-sized amount of filling.

Yeah, it really started getting worse in the 80s. I've seen a lot of people complain about how food's been bad for the last 30 years or so.

swordz9 posted...

Double stuff Oreos today are what regular Oreos used to look like filling wise and now those regular Oreos have like a penny-sized amount of filling.

https://tinyurl.com/y9p4dswf

It used to be what it actually looks like on the packaging. Literally false advertising.

do you think the higher quality stuff completely evaporated, or is it perhaps now under a different, potentially more expensive brand?

you just inspired me to check the stuff in my fridge (mostly costco/kirkland), and the ingredients list at least doesn't show what you're talking about

It's how food prices have stayed basically flat for the past 10ish years (before 2021 inflation). Now you have to go to special grocers to get the same quality stuff from decades ago, for like 1.5-2x the cost.

regular oreos have really scraped out every penny of the good stuff to the point you're like why does this cookie even exist

one of these days they're just gonna be be selling chocolate biscuits

Some of that is just pure price gouging greed Im sure.

Also Oreo already kinda does sell chocolate biscuits with those Oreo Thins

It's actually kinda funny because food as a whole has been trending healthier for the past 10-20 years or so, but you're also not wrong. It depends on the specific type of food. Some of them get smaller, some get more filler, some get ingredients swapped out to healthier ones which makes them taste worse.

But yeah, on the whole, food just is a lot worse than it used to be. In some ways it's arguably better for people (certainly not for the average consumers pocket book though), but man does it suck to remember how much I used to love certain things and they're just no where near as good anymore.

At least with most sit down full meals you can, with practice and studying, learn to cook yourself and make delicious food that way... but it becomes a lot harder when you add in snacks like the aforementioned oreos that are much more intensive to make copycats for relatively little gain at home. To say nothing of the convenience factor, though (its a lot of consistent effort you could be putting into other things).

It's been years since the last time I really "enjoyed" Pizza. I don't know how it is in the US but here I feel like every pizza maker here turned stingy and realized that they can cut costs by putting less cheese on the Pizza
Years ago when I ordered a pizza with extra cheese I remember the cheese being spilled everywhere because there was so much of it
Now...barely noticable. It sucks.

swordz9 posted...

Some of that is just pure price gouging greed Im sure.

That's not really the right way to think about things like this/inflation (this is effectively another form of inflation). It's not that companies aren't being greedy, it's that they're always being greedy; they don't just decide to be greedier one day. They're already selling stuff at roughly the price they think is going to maximize revenue. As their costs increase, though, they need to either increase their prices or cut their costs to keep maxing revenue, though.

That explains why I have a disdain for food in general nowadays. I can only bring myself to eat once a day bc everything seems so unappealing.

It would be so nice if the government cared about our health. What a world that would be.

Maybe it's because I don't buy many processed foods, but I haven't really noticed the quality going down. Definitely have noticed it for ice cream, though, and I've definitely noticed the price going up a lot even compared to a few years ago. Beer is my go-to example for the latter. It's so hard to find decent beer for a buck a bottle anymore, even on sale, when that used to be on the lower end of standard non-sale price!

fig newtons are way smaller.

The main issue is 2007 and the massive amount of optimization of data to make the consumer get the least amount possible for the most amount of money. The data that these companies have been collecting and using, especially in the past 15 years has been insane. Almost everything is reaching a point where everyone knows the most amount you are willing to pay for the least amount possible given back.

Its so funny how all these "amazon web services" and "data optimization" is really just fucking over the consumer. Oh well. Fuck 2007

Donuts at dunkin donuts used to be 50% bigger and were only like $0.59.

Kenri posted...

Maybe it's because I don't buy many processed foods, but I haven't really noticed the quality going down.

Complete opposite for me. Processed food tastes the same as it always has, but it's exceedingly rare to find quality produce

DeepsPraw posted...

Complete opposite for me. Processed food tastes the same as it always has, but it's exceedingly rare to find quality produce

Oh this is definitely true. I guess I just didn't connect it to the topic because it's not the same situation as like, ice cream or Oreos or what have you.

I got good green beans the other day and they're legitimately the first good ones I've had in more than half a decade. Not sure what's gone wrong, there.

I've seen some studies from a long while back making a case for a nutritional degradation of some crops thanks to farming conditions being what they are for a global population.

As for processed food quality...I'd wager it will be a case by case basis. Some things made probably haven't changed production significantly for generations, while other things are likely continually shifting production methods. There certainly have been cost related shifts like what happened with sugar and corn syrup, but I'm hesitant to just lump it all under the same umbrella and call it all worse.

The final straw that inspired me to make this topic was actually fast food, which has gone from "I know this is bad for me, but at least it's tasty" to tasting like rubber for twice the price. Legitimately different experience pre-pandemic.

I think it's just the market being the market. Better quality stuff is still out there, you just have to pay more, sometimes much more, for it. Most of the time, honestly, I don't care and it doesn't really matter all that much.

A month ago I bought some high end organic bread because it was on sale. It was delicious! Thick, hearty, and with good flavor. It's also normally $5+ a loaf. Thanks, but I'll stick with my ALDI's $1.50 knock off 12 Grain for most circumstances.

Yeah, it sucks that beer is no longer $1/bottle. But there is such variety out there now! Quality definitely hasn't gone down here. I drink better stuff now than I ever did 15 years ago.

On the other side, fuck Oreos. What a fucking joke they've become. I'd rather buy cheap ass supermarket brand sandwich cookies or spend more to get some nicer cookies.

I dunno, food tastes like food

havent noticed anything get worse, although obviously the stuff getting smaller is definitely for real

Fast food has always had wild quality swings because a lot of that relies on worker/store quality too. If they dont properly take care of stuff or hire quality workers the quality of the food coming out drops.

Most consumer goods are lower quality. Things like appliances, furniture, clothing all used to last much longer than they do now. People would get at least 10 years out of a TV for example. Sure some of this stuff was more expensive when you adjust for inflation, but I don't think it balances out.

absolutely have noticed this

Bell pepper quantities in fajita plates are at all time lows after declining for years

I feel like I've actually noticed an upswing in higher quality (but more expensive) foods. For ice cream for instance, I've seen way more Tillamook (which is delicious) in grocery stores even though it's twice the cost of other ice creams.

Tillamook did have to shrink down the size of their ice cream container, but they didn't try to hide it. Which is better than I can say for most products.

For most processed junk like Oreo or fast food or frozen section stuff, a big part of it is that you lose your taste buds over time. If you noticed a difference when they switched from trans fat, that would also make sense.

I think what I notice the most is the texture of chicken - they make these chickens so friggin unnatural and you get wooden breast syndrome and such.

The craft beer situation is so good, if you want to drink good stuff there is plenty of it. If you just want to get fucked up theres plenty of cheap liquor or just grab a Big Bear 40. Weve come a long long way with the beer scene in America thats for sure.

one other product that has suffered is scotch. Not only do they add coloring and chill filter the stuff, but it has attracted all sorts of douche bags. Cognac is getting started down the wrong path now too.

I miss trans fat so much. Microwave popcorn just isn't the same.

What's wrong with trans fats again? Is it cancer? It's always cancer. I don't care give me that cancer flavor

This is what flies as a topic on Board 8 these days...

Sigh.

neonreaper posted...

one other product that has suffered is scotch. Not only do they add coloring and chill filter the stuff, but it has attracted all sorts of douche bags. Cognac is getting started down the wrong path now too.

Oh yeah, liquors have experienced an unprecedented boom in the past decade or so. Which is tough when you're making the stuff ten years in advance. Cognac doesn't need to age as long so it doesn't have the same issues as whiskeys...you can't even get some Japanese whiskeys now because of how in demand they are relative to their supply.

The good stuff has gotten way better tbh, but obv it has gone up with inflation too. Glad there's still low cost alternatives though.

FFDragon posted...

What's wrong with trans fats again? Is it cancer? It's always cancer. I don't care give me that cancer flavor

It's just less energy dense so it's like more bad stuff for no benefit. Doesn't taste better or anything so really no reason to eat it.

You just gotta know what restaurants to go to for the good stuff. Like, in my experience, the places I've been going to for decades are as good as ever. Including a couple fast food joints (that are more local). Though part of it may be that I don't go to them as often (for both my physical and financial health) as I used to so it tastes more like a treat when I do.

Homecooked meals are still delicious but you gotta be more choosy with your ingredients. Stuff you get at a Farmer's Market will be the best quality. But if you go to the grocery store and get a $4 pound of cheap generic bacon, it can ruin the taste of other ingredients.

Junk snack food, however... this topic 100% has a point and that's because those things have been cheapened at sacrifice of taste so the corporate overlords can achieve maximal profits. Looking into alternative brands is also hit-or-miss. Like I love my peanut butter Ritz Bits and go through one box a week and, in my experience, the ones not made by the National Biscuit Company have less peanut butter and crackers with less flavor. They may be "better for you" or w/e but they don't taste as good.

But what KP is getting at is kinda helpful to me, since I've realized some things I've munched on actually taste awful and have cut those out.

Ritz Bits are definitely a shell of their former self.

KamikazePotato posted...

Ritz Bits are definitely a shell of their former self.

They're still mightily addictive. I think the difference is that the crackers are toasted. Other brands don't do that. Really brings out the butteriness. That with the peanut butter is divine, and the Nabisco ones are the only ones where you can actually taste both.

Even so, they've slowly shrinkflated, but I still can't live without them.

Another thing I hate is the insistence on whole grains in breakfast cereal. Believe it or not, Grape Nuts and Wheat Chex used to be absolutely delicious. Now they taste like a mouthful of gravel.

foolm0r0n posted...

Doesn't taste better or anything so really no reason to eat it.

It has an unparalleled mouthfeel that you simply cant get with traditional fats.

I've noted "Whole Grain Corn" on cereal ingredient lists.

What the hell is whole grain corn?

BlueCrystalTear posted...

I've noted "Whole Grain Corn" on cereal ingredient lists.

What the hell is whole grain corn?

It's corn with the whole grain. With the shell and everything, like what you would eat on the cob.

Blame Capitalism

Bartzyx posted...

It's corn with the whole grain. With the shell and everything, like what you would eat on the cob.

Allow me to rephrase.

How is "whole grain corn" different from just plain ol' "corn" there? That's more what I was getting at. Is all corn whole grain, or not? Or are they saying it's genetically modified? Or what? Food synthesis is just not something I'm overly educated about.

There's more of a squeeze on prices lately but I have not noticed a decrease in the quality of food overall

This is such a boomer topic.

Due to inflation, if food has stayed the same price, it by definition has gotten worse or lower quality. This isn't greed, it's the fact that the ingredients have gotten more expensive. You can't buy ingredients at a loss.

Frozen diners are infinitely better than they used to be. Power bowls are amazing. Got some spicy chicken tenders and they were amazing. They were also $10 for a pound. Costco sells frozen Wagu Ribeyes now

This topic is just complaining food that costs $2 now is worse than food that cost $2 20 years ago. Duh?

That's not a guarantee due to technological improvements. It is theoretically possible for prices to go down and quality to go up due to improvements in the technology to produce the good.

masterplum posted...

Due to inflation, if food has stayed the same price, it by definition has gotten worse or lower quality. This isn't greed, it's the fact that the ingredients have gotten more expensive. You can't buy ingredients at a loss.

Due to inflation, if food has stayed the same price, by definition its real price has lowered. That's it.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

Allow me to rephrase.

How is "whole grain corn" different from just plain ol' "corn" there? That's more what I was getting at. Is all corn whole grain, or not? Or are they saying it's genetically modified? Or what? Food synthesis is just not something I'm overly educated about.

Whole grains have the "whole" grain. Refined grains remove the fibrous, less tasty parts (usually the bran and/or germ). So regular corn flakes or tortillas or whatever do not have all the corn in them.

I don't agree with this completely. Boxed, mass produced, and fast food is definitely worse and smaller portioned and such. But if you go to a local restaurant for a steak or a burger and the food is as good as ever.

GTM posted...

I don't agree with this completely. Boxed, mass produced, and fast food is definitely worse and smaller portioned and such. But if you go to a local restaurant for a steak or a burger and the food is as good as ever.

I had the misfortunate of experiencing my favorite local restaurant's food degrade in real time over the past two years :(