5 Grocery Chain Produce Departments You Should Skip

We all know the importance of incorporating fresh produce into our diets, but getting high-quality fruits and vegetables from the grocery store has become a struggle for many people over the past few years. Across social media, shoppers complain about lower-quality produce and higher prices from both smaller regional grocery chains and big corporations alike. It would be reasonable to wonder whether U.S. quality standards have changed in recent years, as grocery chains seemingly show more red flags in the produce department, like mold, odors, and shriveled produce skin.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a grading system for fruits and vegetables to ensure quality produce distribution, but the grades vary by type, making it hard to know what you're really getting from a particular USDA grade. And while many stores and chains use the same distributors and vendors, self-described employees and store owners report that some stores are willing to pay for first pick at the produce, meaning that by the time produce gets to less expensive stores that are unwilling or unable to pay to play, the fruits and veggies have been picked over, leaving only lowest quality options available. 

Although issues such as old, bruised fruits that lack flavor and vegetables on the verge of expiring or rotting seem to be a problem just about everywhere, some stores are worse than others. The following five grocery store chains, in particular, have produce departments you should skip altogether.

While you may not think of Walmart primarily as a grocery chain, gone are the days when the store focused on general retail merchandise. Today, the majority of Walmart stores in the U.S. are either large Supercenters, with a huge array of produce, groceries, and other merchandise, or Neighborhood Markets, which emphasize groceries and produce over other products. While smaller discount stores with a focus on general merchandise still exist, they make up only 352 of what the conglomerate calls its total 5,206 retail units.

With such a focus on groceries and fresh food, you'd think that Walmart would be a great place for produce. According to customers, that's not the case. Sure, it may be less expensive than produce at other stores, or convenient to get everything in one trip, but entire Reddit threads are dedicated to the quality of Walmart's produce (or lack thereof). Redditors cite a multitude of possible causes, ranging from staffing issues in the produce department to Walmart opting to purchase lower-quality produce from its vendors.

Produce delivery orders are not immune to issues, either. In one Facebook post about Walmart grocery deliveries, customers complained of rotten, moldy produce. One wrote, "...the other day all my peppers were mushy, my cucumbers had mold, my fruit [wasn't] close to ripe, and some overripe to the point of liquid..." Other customers agreed, suggesting folks avoid the store's grocery options altogether, delivery or otherwise.

Much smaller than the nationwide Walmart mega-corporation, Ingles Markets is prevalent in much of the Southeastern United States, particularly in rural areas. The first store opened in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1963, and the chain's sole distribution center and warehouse is still located just outside Asheville, within 250 miles of each of its more than 200 stores across Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. While a single distribution center and a relatively small footprint might lead you to expect higher-quality fresh produce, its customers have found quite the opposite. 

Many customers in the Asheville area, where there are approximately 20 stores within 10 miles of the city, express frustration that Ingles is the most ubiquitous grocery store in the area, particularly given the low quality of items like produce it carries. On the r/Asheville subreddit, whole threads are dedicated to the chain's issues, with users noting, "The produce quality is absolutely awful," and that the store sells "fruits and vegetables that have visibly gone bad." Others share that although they have to shop there for many items due to the dearth of other stores, "definitely not for produce or anything else fresh." 

Perhaps the worst thing about the store's produce is that the price doesn't reflect the quality. One Reddit user summed it up concisely, "And for this, Ingles expects you to be okay with Whole Foods prices." If you can, go somewhere else.

Like Walmart, Target has begun focusing on its grocery department in an attempt to become a one-stop shop for customers. Unfortunately, its produce in particular isn't worth the supposed convenience, with customers online complaining about spoiled fruit and vegetables. If you're looking for even more convenience by ordering your Target groceries through a third-party app like Shipt, just know that those shoppers don't have access to produce that's any better than what you'd find in the store. As one Shipt shopper shared on Reddit, "Target produce is always crappy." Other shoppers agreed, citing strawberries, apples, avocados, and salads as some of the worst offenders.

According to a former Target employee, staffing in the produce department is the issue. They shared, "A lot of times the cold goods that just arrived [were] prioritized to stock and the pallets were massive, so the other duties like making sure all the produce was up to date and fresh and throwing out the expired goods could often be missed or rushed."

Luckily, Target's return policy extends to fresh produce, as long as you have your receipt and didn't purchase it through a third-party delivery service like DoorDash or Uber Eats. Still, if you have to return the produce you bought as part of your convenience shopping trip, it isn't all that convenient. You might be better off grabbing your produce elsewhere in the first place.

We know, this one stings. Aldi super fans may be hesitant or unwilling to admit it, but Reddit says that Aldi's produce is the worst. Not only does Aldi have a limited selection of produce compared to many chain grocery stores, but the fruits and veggies are often not in the best shape. While it's possible to get fresh, vibrant produce at Aldi, customers note it's very hit-or-miss. Some online share stories about moldy fruit (especially berries), citrus fruit that doesn't taste like anything, and vegetables that are mushy, smelly, and rotten. Even if you do manage to find good-looking produce, there's a decent chance it will spoil relatively quickly. Some customers have even shared stories of otherwise perfectly good produce spoiling overnight in the fridge.

The problem, it seems, may be similar to the one facing Walmart. While the store sells its produce for cheaper than other stores, that comes with a different kind of cost for consumers. According to an alleged employee on r/Aldi, the store doesn't buy the highest-grade produce; otherwise, prices would be higher. They noted, however, "We throw produce (and meat) twice a day, so if you want the best quality, try going right at opening or between 12-2 p.m."

Although ACME Markets is another small, regional chain with stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and its native Pennsylvania, it operates under the umbrella of Albertsons Companies, one of the biggest food companies in the United States, which also operates chains like Shaw's, Star Market, and Safeway.

Customers' online opinions of the produce department range from calling it "unreliable" and "severely lacking" to "nasty," "horrible," and "overpriced." Given that ACME is also one of the most overpriced grocery chains in America, it just doesn't make sense to do your produce shopping there.

In response to a Reddit post asking why anyone shops there, one person noted the close proximity of ACME Markets compared to other stores. They revealed, "The nearest supermarket is an Acme. The next nearest supermarket is an Acme. The next next nearest supermarket is an Acme." Given the ubiquity of the chain, some people don't even realize how bad the store's produce is until they move to another area with more variety. So we're telling you now, go somewhere else for your fresh fruits and veggies.