Why Some Shoppers Have Given Up On Trader Joe's Milk

For many shoppers, milk is a staple that they pick up every time they go shopping. The average American drinks almost 16 gallons of milk per year. That's actually quite a bit less than it used to be in the 1970s, when numbers were nearly double. With so many more options today, shoppers are more discerning, and stores selling milk have to try harder to earn their business. That's why it's shocking that so many Trader Joe's customers have the same complaints about the milk not only spoiling too fast, but tasting off.

For many people, the problem isn't that Trader Joe's sells old milk and they forgot to check the date before purchase. "Every time I have purchased milk, cream or whipping cream at Trader Joe's, it has been bad almost as soon as I bought it," said one Redditor. "Always before the sell-by date."

Elsewhere, an entire Reddit thread was dedicated to the problem of the store's whole milk spoiling too quickly. Dozens of comments share similar stories about milk going off soon after buying it. Some people offer tips for how to preserve the milk, suggesting that refrigerators might be to blame. Others recommend buying lactose-free milk because it lasts longer. All of them basically accept that the milk does go bad too quickly. Given that Trader Joe's didn't even rank that high when we compared organic milk brands, it hardly seems worth it.

Milk spoiling early is a big issue these days, but there are other complaints about Trader Joe's milk, too. One Redditor said, "The organic 2% milk from Trader Joe's tastes like there's chlorine in it." Another said it had a "plastic flavor." Someone else described it as "oily." Many commenters point out that Trader Joe's doesn't operate its own dairy farms. Instead, it sources from local dairies. So, depending on where you are in the country, you're going to have different experiences with the milk. Nevertheless, milk going bad before the expiration date seems to be a common theme across the board.

Some users have tried to explain why Trader Joe's milk might go bad so quickly. One Redditor claims, "It's because TJs milk is pasteurized instead of ultra pasteurized." While it's true that ultra pasteurized milk has a longer shelf life, it's not a solid explanation. According to Global Growth Insights, only 31% of milk sales in America are ultra pasteurized, so this shouldn't account for why so many people have an issue with Trader Joe's specifically.

It's hard to say exactly what could be causing these Trader Joe's milk problems. It could be an issue similar to why Walmart's milk spoils so fast. At least one customer on Trustpilot claims that Trader Joe's is watering down its milk. According to them, they tried making yogurt with the milk and found that it contained fewer milk solids than other brands. Other commenters feel the same way, though obviously not everyone agrees. Regardless of the reasons, if you're looking for milk that tastes good and doesn't spoil, maybe think twice about Trader Joe's.