I do the grocery shopping, or at least try to keep my wife out of the grocery store.
My Dad was a USDA meat inspector for 42 years. Over the years I've learned to judge the quality of meats, and gray hamburger doesn't faze me, makes good chili. Too many people think that a single package (not a promotional sale) of top sirloin marked down a couple of dollars is beginning to spoil, and pass on it. I'll snatch it up and put it in the freezer for some beef stew or veggie beef soup in January.
Boxed goods like cereals and pasta type "quick meals"? Good to go. So are canned goods if the lids aren't bulged.
You have to remember that product liability insurance for grocery stores is pretty expensive. Add the reputation and the very low profit margin to that, grocery chains and established local markets aren't going to take too many chances on selling foods that make you sick.
