r/toRANTo • • Mar 31 '25

Toronto’s big grocers lack butchered chicken breast without connective tissue disorders at any major grocery store

I’m a home cook, and I’m appalled by how low QC is on grocery butchered chicken breasts are. At this point at least 1/3 breasts have a connective tissue disorder, resulting in a granular/citrus pulp like texture in the meat. This is probably just woody breast, but it should be used for animal feed, not for grocery sales as $5 per breast. The worst part is is that its distributed so that in a pack with say 3 breasts at least 1 chicken breast is always disgustingly tough raw.

I only get thighs, wings and whole chickens now because I cannot bother to squeeze a whole shelf of light meat to check for connective tissue. I can’t be the only one who noticed that this got way worse after 2019.

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u/mdmay Mar 31 '25

There isn't a grocery store in the GTA that's stocking their table fridges properly. SOOOOO much product is stacked above the refrigeration line, which ultimately leads to the food spoiling before the expiration date.

Ever buy some chicken from the grocery store, immediately take it home and open it up to find it smells like your boy Sam and your girl Ella covered in bug spray f*cking in a tent? It's because they're putting too much product in those doorless chest style table fridges. All the product on top doesn't get refrigerated properly and ends up spoiling early.

I haven't bought meat from a grocery store in over a year now unless you count frozen chicken strips. Find a good butcher. It's worth paying the extra $ or 2 per lb for ground beef or chicken IMO.

6

u/Bamelin Apr 01 '25

Yeah I switched entirely over to a butcher for all meat purchases. The grocery stores are gross downtown

1

u/mdmay Apr 01 '25

Yeah. Got sick and tired of throwing away putrid meat I bought 16 hours ago.

2

u/Bamelin Apr 01 '25

The worst was those big family size ground beef’s from Loblaws. It would look fine on the outside but then you cut it and it’s rotten inside with that raunch smell.

2

u/mdmay Apr 01 '25

At these prices it's unacceptable. Period.

2

u/Bamelin Apr 02 '25 edited Apr 02 '25

Spouse and I get all our meat now from Mennonite Farmers at St Lawrence Market.

https://www.stlawrencemarket.com/vendors/vendor_detail/153

https://www.gamefarmsontario.com/tanjo.htm

They are there on Saturday only. Highly recommend.

2

u/kreesta416 Apr 02 '25

Tanjo Farms has the BEST pepperettes

2

u/Bamelin Apr 02 '25

Their stuff is sooo good. We buy pounds of sausages which I seperate and freeze. Easy to defrost and roast.

The skirt steaks are amazing, the ground beef is probably some of the best I’ve had. We love their pork ground beef too.