I moved to the South just over two years ago. I have lived in So Cal, Arizona & Oregon & have never seen such bad produce & meats in large chain Grocery Stores in my life.

Now here in New Orleans I have very few choices for food shopping. There are five choices & some small chain & single markets but I would only buy from two.

Due to "freedom of speech" I am posting my opinion of these store for those who may be thinking of moving to Louisiana.

1. Winn Dixie....what can I say.
BIG RIP OFF!!!! Run far away.
The produce is disgusting, most west coast stores would have thrown it all out. They have a very small variety & it is ALWAYS limp, wrinkled, bruised or slimy. The greens ie; lettuces, pre-packed salads go bad by the next day. As for the meats (maybe I am spoiled), they are grisly & fatty but VERY over priced. I have bought canned goods that were out of date & the milk is a whopping $5.00 a gal. compared to Whole foods $3.99 a gal. And seriously...why is their fresh ATLANTIC salmon $19.00 lb & on the West coast it is under $10.00 lb?! Never mind that the six different stores that I have been in, three Parishes have been filthy. As for their weekly ad...I rarely see the advertised meats they are referencing to on the shelf. I rate this store the worst... even over WalMart for fresh foods.

2. Rouses.....all in all not a whole lot better than Winn Dixie except a little more variety & cleaner.

3. Roberts Fresh Market........ Clean, good selection & nice fresh products but just as spendy as Whole Foods & sometimes more expensive.

4. Whole Foods....there are two in the Orleans area. The one on Veterans in Metairie is the best(bigger). They are a bit spendy but at least I can chew the meat & don't have throw away a bunch of gristle. I buy there & the seafood is sometimes cheaper than Rouses or Winn Dixie. The milk is ALWAYS cheaper. I found that the greens, whether pre-packed or not last for nearly a week at home!!! Yeah!!! But it is a "green" store & you have to go elsewhere for a lot of things. Otherwise the prices are comparable. I shop here the most & when ever possible.
The Uptown store is much smaller & I have found that some of the prices are higher than the bigger store...hmmmmmm?

5. All the little"meat markets" are not what you would think. The meat is poor in all of them that I have tried & you can't buy a side of beef or anything like I am use to on the West coast. The chicken usually is of better quality than most other though. I have yet to find a place to purchase good quality bulk meats to fill my freezer. I have searched hard too.


Everyone here I have mentioned this problem to has said that "prices are going up all over" & "the meat is very good quality"....ie; Winn Dixie & Rouses.  I beg to differ, just because it's all they've ever had. They don't know the difference. I just went on the net & looked at ads in AZ & found nearly the same prices as when I left.  Milk was still $1.99-$2.49 a gal. Meat prices were still reasonable & I know the quality was still good as I still have family there.

This State has a lower income level than most & I feel that the citizens here are getting screwed bad by these stores & it is not right at all..


That's my opinion like it or not.