The case of the disappearing ingredients

September 17, 2024 by
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A recent Forum topic started by Member Indio32 caught my attention because it confirmed something that I have been noticing in my local supermarket. The issue is that some ingredients – mainly more traditional or ‘old-fashioned’ items – seem to be disappearing from grocery store shelves. The issue raised is broader than just one country as people from Australia, the UK, and the US have noticed this. In my neck of the woods, ingredients including certain cuts of beef, a few baking ingredients like superfine (caster) sugar, and produce items as basic as shallots have gone missing. In place of these items a crop of processed ingredients or prepackaged meals has sprouted.

In fact, the produce section in my local grocery store was rearranged to make way for an entire case of ‘shortcut’ items like prechopped vegetables and fruits and premade salads. In addition to the shallots, fennel, daikon radish, tomatillos, and a few other things vanished. At the same store, the fish case is gone altogether and the butcher case features very few items actually cut on site; most of the meat arrives at the store precut and shrink-wrapped, so forget about getting bones or chicken backs for stock. In the Forum thread, Members felt that the changing landscape of cookbooks was a factor in this shift, with books incorporating more readymade ingredients. This is somewhat of a ‘chicken and egg’ issue, because it can be difficult to determine if the cookbooks are leading the way on this or following trends.

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While it is discouraging to lose ingredients you have enjoyed for years, I have found a few bright spots. There is more than one brand of tahini, and the cheese selection has expanded. People with dietary restrictions are likely pleased that an entire aisle is dedicated to gluten-free options, and there are more vegan items like cheese substitutes. It does seem like the trend of ‘shortcuts’ to meal time in the form of precut vegetables and meal kits that recently made an appearance will be here for the foreseeable future. We will have to seek out smaller shops or find mail-order options. Have you noticed this trend in your local stores and if so, what do you think is the cause?

Category: Antipasto

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16 Comments

  • wester  on  September 18, 2024

    I have noticed a long time ago already that for instance “boekweit grutten” (a kind of coarse buckwheat meal used traditionally here in Holland) was very difficult to find, while the same store had dozens of bread mixes, including such indispensible items as bread mix with dried tomatoes. In the same vein, canned cod liver is almost impossible to get while were have dozens of variations on canned tuna. Any color as long as it’s black.

    So, not a local thing, and not that recent either.

  • JimCampbell  on  September 18, 2024

    This is an interesting topic. I think stores, in general, follow and serve an ever-evolving society. And, while folks like us, EYB members, who have a love of cooking, may be put off by some of the changes, the greater society, with younger groups like millennials and such, seem to favor convenience over the effort it takes to accomplish a task. A task such as preparing a recipe for example.

    The mega-marts will always be at the forefront of societal changes.

    So, I find myself using the mega-marts for the basics and visiting smaller mom-and-pop stores who cater to the ingredients I am looking for. It means more travel, as I often need to visit different stores who have a specific specialty, but I do that anyway. I visit Asian markets, Indian markets, Persian markets, Seafood markets.

    Am I inconvenienced? Sure………. Do I reminisce about the “good-old-days” when markets were more personable and carried more of the products I use and like? Sure…….. But I am not going to fault the mega-marts for catering to the greater society.

  • anya_sf  on  September 18, 2024

    I have to go out of my way to find bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. And just forget boneless, skin-on breasts (yes, I realize I could remove the bone myself but I’m truly terrible at deboning).

  • Rinshin  on  September 18, 2024

    Oh yes on problems finding bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, boneless skin-on chicken breasts and boneless skin-on thighs. I have to order online now. What is going on with them? Same with beef cuts. Not easy find things like beef ribs, short ribs, etc. Same with fish or seafood. I either buy from Japanese markets or order online. And the price of seafood and fish is very high in the US. I also now order pork collar roast online so I can break it down for making tonkatsu, pork loins with more flavor, fat and texture and manageable sized roasts.

  • Indio32  on  September 19, 2024

    Was speaking to a friend about this last night and he absolutely hit the nail on the head!
    In the 80’s used to go to his grannies for Sunday lunch of roast chicken with giblet gravy. As we all know Supermarkets stopped including giblets in chicken so granny moved over to bisto gravy granuals. Skip forward to now and his kids have never known anything other than Bisto. Talk to then about giblets and the response is “yuck/gross”. By getting rid of the pretty much free giblets they’ve got people to eat an industrial ultra processed item (look at those ingredients!!) that cost around 30 times the cost of some flour for home made giblet gravy. It’s in part how Tesco’s boss can now pay himself ~£200,000/$265,000 a week.
    This ISN’T a case of consumers changing tastes its about Supermarkets replacing cheaper less profitable items with high profit industrial ultra-processed ones.

  • Indio32  on  September 19, 2024

    Rinshin…. that’s a classic case of Supermarkets leading consumers by the nose. Skinless boneless chicken parts are sold at a premium. Then the chicken skin is maybe used as a flavoring for some high profit ultra-processed crisps/chips and the bones boiled down for stock cubes another profit spinner.
    #SupermarketsAreNotYourFriend

  • JimCampbell  on  September 19, 2024

    Rinshin…… We both live in the Bay Area. What is your favorite Japanese market for fish and seafood?

  • GenieB  on  September 19, 2024

    I have started making a lot more things from scratch. Case in point, soy yogurt. For years I have been using Silk brand soy yogurt. We finally contacted the manufacturers when we just could not find it in any store. The company just stopped making it! Silk still has flavored soy yogurt, although it is hard to find, but I would rather add my own flavoring. So I started making my own, which actually isn’t that hard, it’s just another cooking task. Fortunately I am retired so I have the time.

    I also have started ordering a lot more things on-line although there are 6 markets within walking distance including Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Fred Meyers (Kroger’s), Whole Foods, and a small middle Eastern store.

  • Rinshin  on  September 20, 2024

    I like Nijiya the best for fish and seafood. Look also in their frozen fish areas. They carry organic vegetables and fruits. Prices are little higher. Good selection of frozen fish and seafood too at Marukai In Cupertino. Another good place to buy seafood and fish are Korean markets. Excellent selection of frozen seafood. My favorite Korean market is Hankook on El Camino. Good selection of Japanese and Korean vegetables too. I also buy Chinese vegetables from 99 Ranch. Good selection and prices. But, never their seafood or meat. For local seafood order with reasonable delivery fee is Giovanni’s Fish Market in Morro Bay. I also buy oysters directly from Hog Island Oyster Company in Marshall CA. I order many fish and seafood items too from Alaska.

  • Rinshin  on  September 20, 2024

    With chicken, I miss the complete fryer pack I used to buy which includes whole chicken broken down into two thighs, breasts, drumsticks and wings. Cannot be found anymore. Now to get that I have to buy the whole chicken but I am still not proficient in breaking down into chicken pieces. Wish stores would leave the skin on with their neatly arranged and packed chicken pieces which I totally ignore.

  • Rinshin  on  September 20, 2024

    Bones are missing from many beef too because now they are being made into commercial bone broths. Hard to find bone in chuck roasts. All boneless. I have never made soy yogurt but I buy soy beans online to make tofu and sometimes natto. I have to try making soy yogurt.

  • jnstewart  on  September 20, 2024

    My local grocery store got rid of half its cheese section to make way for premade charcuterie trays. I’m a vegetarian, and now I have to drive two hours to find paneer, halloumi, or anything beyond the absolute basics. It’s absolutely maddening.

  • jwballard  on  September 20, 2024

    I love cooking, but spinal surgery and CFS have disabled me and made cooking more difficult. Precut vegetables and other convenience items are essential to my ability to prepare fresh meals rather than use frozen prepackaged food. I think Jim’s approach is wise: my partner and I have a delivery subscription with a mega-mart, but also patronize ethnic food stores that we’re fortunate to have nearby, as well as smaller chain grocery stores. (It helps that he speaks Spanish and Portuguese as well as a smattering of Asian dialects and is well-loved by our local ethnic vendors.)

  • JimCampbell  on  September 21, 2024

    “For local seafood order with reasonable delivery fee is Giovanni’s Fish Market in Morro Bay. I also buy oysters directly from Hog Island Oyster Company in Marshall CA. I order many fish and seafood items too from Alaska.”

    I use Water2Table for my online ordering. We live in the Bay Area and Water2Table is in a warehouse off of Fisherman’s Wharf. They deliver to the door. At least to our home in Moraga. We order clams, mussels, Bay caught Halibut when available. They seem to always have sable.

  • JimCampbell  on  September 21, 2024

    “Bones are missing from many beef too because now they are being made into commercial bone broths. Hard to find bone in chuck roasts. All boneless.”

    Here’s a website I came across which looks interesting. They are located in Sacramento, California.

    https://madbutchermeat.com/

    I have not ordered from them yet. I’m not sure what I would do with 50 pounds of beef bones………………

  • MangerTout  on  September 21, 2024

    I noticed I could no longer buy wheat Bran or wheat germ in my favourite store. I got them online. I also had a tough time getting caraway seeds. I find many more previously exotic ingredients available but wonder what is next?

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