Why Walmart's Great Value Milk Seems To Expire Faster Than Other Brands' - Tasting Table

"And it seems to be specific to the Great Value brand because, as one Redditor wrote, " I bought some [Great Value] heavy cream and it spoiled within a week. If I buy Land o Lakes cream it is good beyond best by date. I am not buying their dairy any longer. It concerns me how it is stored before it gets to the store.""

"Another Redditor theorizes, "I am 99% sure that Walmart has a logistics problem with how they store perishables in transit." Another customer came to the conclusion that "Walmart stores their milk in a warm environment for way too long." To that effect, we also attribute milk expiring before the labeled date to milk being exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which might be from improperly refrigerated trucks."

Customers report repeated instances of Great Value milk and dairy spoiling well before labeled dates, with some saying milk comes off shelves already spoiled or spoils within a day. One shopper reported Great Value heavy cream spoiled within a week while a national brand remained good past its best-by date. Consumers suspect logistics and cold-chain failures, including exposure above 40 degrees Fahrenheit during transit and warm storage at stores. Other shoppers point to manufacturing or packaging defects, such as leaking plastic caps that introduce air and bacteria. Some shoppers prefer retailers with stricter safety standards, such as Costco's Kirkland brand.

Read at Tasting Table