Survivalist Forum banner

Dollar Tree Food Products.

26K views 76 replies 50 participants last post by  swen_out_west 
#1 ·
So thanks to this site I discovered the Dollar Tree. For a while I confused it with some check cashing place. But, I found two local here.

My big question is this:

How does the food taste?

I went there and saw they have something similar to Velveeta Shells and Cheese and was going to buy a bunch (I try to use food that need little or no preparation in my preps) but hesitated because I was unsure of the brand.

It seems they have their own generic brand. How is it? What's good? What should I stay away from?

Thanks in advance. :cool:
 
#4 ·
Stay away from the Southgate foods I have as of yet to try one that was not nasty. The bags of corn flakes are good. I like the sliced pepperoni and salami and I have some in my BOB. I drink the 3 L bottles of pop they sell and reuse the bottles of other things. I like the pickles they are made in India.

The best thing to do is buy something new each week and if you like it buy more if you do not you are only out a dollar.
 
#36 ·
Stay away from the Southgate foods I have as of yet to try one that was not nasty. The bags of corn flakes are good. I like the sliced pepperoni and salami and I have some in my BOB. I drink the 3 L bottles of pop they sell and reuse the bottles of other things. I like the pickles they are made in India. The best thing to do is buy something new each week and if you like it buy more if you do not you are only out a dollar.

I would avoid "Made in India" just like I would avoid "Made in China" and "Distributed by". China uses India as major gateway hub for its products, and it does so to get around import restrictions and poor image hurtles. Honey is a prime example. Its shipped from China to India and then reshipped from India with the Made in/Product of India" tag. This practice doesn't just apply to Honey either. This allows China to easily import products into countries that have restrictions against China.
 
#8 ·
I have yet to try something that was terrible from Dollar Tree, but some of my friends would claim that I don't have the most discerning pallet. :p

Some of the things have tasted a bit "off" from what the name-brand item is (I got a generic "Gold Fish" box and they just didn't hit the spot the same way the pricey ones do), but other than that I've had no problems. Herbalpagan has a good point... you're only wasting a buck if you find you really don't like something. :) And they do indeed have name brand items (Propel water is the first thing that comes to mind for me).

I'm sure now that you've discovered this store there will be no going back. LOL. I do like half or more of my shopping there.
 
#10 ·
I found a lot of good stuff at the Dollar Tree over the years, but mostly in the area of "non-consumables" like emergency candles, laundry soap, dish soap, bandages, etc. They used to carry small cans of pork and beef products that were fine for use in flavoring beans, lintels, etc., but they were clearly marked "product of USA". Lately I've seen more items marked as "distributed by ...", where the country of origin is not indicated. I interpret this to mean "product of China", and I'll have no part of it.

Also, be careful with cheap medical items like aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. One of their main suppliers of these items is a company named "Assured", which is definitely of Chinese origin. There has just been too much bad press about junk found in everything from dog food to pharmaceuticals coming out of China; I don't even want to sample it.
 
#12 ·
Also, be careful with cheap medical items like aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. One of their main suppliers of these items is a company named "Assured", which is definitely of Chinese origin. There has just been too much bad press about junk found in everything from dog food to pharmaceuticals coming out of China; I don't even want to sample it.
I have used the meds from Dollar Tree and have for several years they have worked as well as any and cost a lot less than most. I don't however use their Tylenol or Ibuprofen, not because of fear of it being contaminated, but because I have found it cheaper to buy in larger quantities from Walmart or Sam's.
As far as the press coverage of China, I take it like I do most things the press says are bad you know, survivalists, red meat, personal responsibility, etc.:taped:
 
#11 ·
There Corned Beef Hash, Chicken & Dumplings and Beef Stew are good a little greasy but very tasty. We have tried the shells and cheese and it is good , not the same but good, needs more cheese. Our has packaged rice and noodles like Knorr, and it is just as good but less variety. So far we have liked everything we have gotten their except their chips they were stale, but did make a great fire starter with all the oil they had in them.
 
#13 ·
Many American companies are importing food products from other countries (like things made/grown in China, for example)......and then re-labeling them to indicate "distributed by" the American company.

"Distributed by" is definitely NOT the same thing as "grown in America". This sneaky packaging is mostly done on generic products. You need to be very careful what you buy with a generic label on it......whether you are at Dollar Tree or your grocery store.

Something I learned from a friend, who lived and worked in China for quite a while......Chinese manufacturers store a lot of products destined for export in huge vats. These vats are NEVER washed or cleaned out.......and NO distinction is made between food or toxic/poisonous non-food products. If a vat is empty, it WILL get filled with something. They don't care what. It's a constant cycle of re-use with these vats. So.......beans (or some other fruit/vegetable/other food product, etc.) could easily end up being dumped into a vat that previously held a household or automotive substance that was NEVER supposed to be consumed by humans.

So........my friend warned me NEVER to buy anything with a Made in China or "distributed by" label on it that conceivably could have been stored in a vat before it was packaged and exported.

It is wise to remember that China is not observing the same safety standards that American manufacturers do. They are doing whatever generates the most profit for them. The Chinese didn't care about the toxic pet food, or the dangerous children's toys. And, they don't care if you get sick from eating contaminated food products exported by them, either.
 
#14 ·
And your friend if he looked hard enough on the net would find beakless,featherless chickens that KFC uses, pink goo that is chicken nuggets, and a wide variety of other claims that show how bad some food is. Yes there have been problems with chinese products, but never has there been E-coli tainted lettuce and spinach, or listeria tainted cantaloupe, or contaminated chicken or beef from American companies. RIGHT?
 
#15 ·
The other day I picked up a pack of Teriyaki noodles from our Dollar Tree. It wasn't bad going down, but a couple hours later I was eating Tums. (Let's just leave the details there).

A couple days later I tried a can of Gravy and Beef that I picked up at the same time. There was about 1 tsp of beef and the rest was gravy. I'll stick with Costco's Kirkland canned beef.

For now, I'm only buying name brand foods only from Dollar Tree.
 
#16 ·
I bought several 29 oz cans of hominy for $1 each.

It's got lots of fiber, a low glycemic index and is a nice change of pace from our "usual" fare. I used some in a big batch of vegetarian chili (along with black beans), and I thought it turned out very tasty.

I saw in another thread how to make hominy (and I hope to do that in the future), but for now, I'll go with the $1 cans.
 
#23 ·
If you're looking for cheap food stuffs you might be better served by going to Aldi or Save a Lot. There is a Save a Lot about a half block from the construction site I'm working on. I get fresh fruits, nuts, bottled water, etc.. there all the time. So far, everything has been fine and it's cheap. Plus, everything so far has been of USA origin. But, unlike the Dollar Tree it's a real grocery store. The only consumable that I have purchased and eaten at the dollar store was granola. It was pretty good.
 
#24 ·
whatever generates the most profit for them. The Chinese didn't care about the toxic pet food, or the dangerous children's toys. And, they don't care if you get sick from eating contaminated food products exported by them, either

Kind of like our own food industry back in the sixties and seventies. You know, before that terrible regulation thing.
 
#46 ·
With the food inflation since March sizes have gone down. Can't get the 29 or 30 oz cans of fruit anymore at both dollar tree and 99 cent only. All the peaches went to 15-16 oz cans. That's almost a 100 percent rise in price.

Slowly but surely I'm seeing the sizes of things at these 2 stores get cut drastically.
 
#37 ·
you can do well if you watch the items offered and know your prices. per oz you are often better off shopping at discount groceries for a good price. But their canned goods when on sale are a buy at 3/$1... and i can get the same brands elsewhere for 79 cents each. so i wait for the sales. the dry packs of soup (like the liptons) are good and a good value as is the instant gravy and other flavoring mixes. cheaper than the grocery stores unless there is a sale. I watch their sales on candles after holidays, check out the discount carts or shelves for the best buys. I shop at Dollar tree as part of my preps but some of the stuff can be bought cheaper and better quality at other places. know your prices and compare. best wishes
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top