I'm an employee of Kroger, as well as a customer (of course) and over the last 3 months or so I've noticed that the smaller boxes of KROGER brand oatmeal (quick / one minute type) has a definite 'soapy' taste and smell. It is very noticeable to me, as soon as I open the box (so I know it isn't because I have kept it too long or next to detergents here at my home). The taste is odd, sorta like a very faint detergent/floor cleaner mixed with a faint 'floral' smell. i suspect it might be from the overnight floor cleaner operator spraying the mist onto the floor and some of it oversprays a little onto the lowest shelf (where this product is usually stocked) and somehow the smell soaking into the cardboard. Or maybe it is because of them being stored in the backroom? There are several sell-by dates involved including 6-8-2018. I found that hard to understand because I thought there was a thin 'waxy' coating on the outside of the cardboard oatmeal boxes so this shouldn't happen. But I am very sensitive to odd smells and tastes, and I KNOW this is NOT my imagination. I have refrained from saying anything to my managers here at my kroger, mostly because I think they will not believe me, will think I am being petty, or just ignore it. As far as I know, no regular customers have mentioned it in the surveys or in verbal comments.
So, my question is: Have any of you employees at ANY Kroger or affiliated stores noticed anything like this before? I changed brands to a nationwide name brand (Quaker, much more expensive) nearby on the same shelf, and it tasted and smelled pefectly normal and good. I even bought a different brand at Walmart, and a few days ago, at Aldis (much cheaper ........all were just fine.
If you believe the smell is coming from the spray from the floor cleaners, wouldn't the other boxes of oatmeal have that smell too? Perhaps the smell is coming from something at the manufacturing plant. Most products have a way for people to contact them printed somewhere on the box/can in case they have questions or concerns.
Same thing here. I thought it was my dish last time, but today I confirmed it was the oats. I just called customer service and placed a complaint. Mine too have a sell by date of 062318 0801k7
same here, the soapy flowery taste carries on well after too. Horrible
Hello, I am the original poster of this thread, from back in Oct 2017. I did notice the soapy taste in the oatmeal I bought at Kroger for a few weeks time, but not too long after I posted my first post on the subject (probably within about 5 or 6 weeks or so) the smell was gone in the new product coming in. So, evidently it was a short-term problem at the manufacturing / packing facility. I have not noticed this again in almost 5 years time, so I have no idea if the very latest post on this thread is a new instance of this happening again (?). Can you post the exact sell-by date that is printed on the bottom of the box you purchased???
The Quaker Oats I just had for breakfast have that same gross lilac-dish-detergent taste. Other batches of Quaker Oats over the years have had that same taste, too. I wonder if this is something that some people can taste and some people cant ~ like how people either have a genetic disposition to like or hate the taste of cilantro ~ because I just asked another family member to try some oatmeal from the same container and he didnt notice anything unusual about it. Best by date on the bottom of the container is August 18, 2022.
The Quaker Oats I just had for breakfast have that same gross lilac-dish-detergent taste. Other batches of Quaker Oats over the years have had that same taste, too. I wonder if this is something that some people can taste and some people cant ~ like how people either have a genetic disposition to like or hate the taste of cilantro ~ because I just asked another family member to try some oatmeal from the same container and he didnt notice anything unusual about it. Best by date on the bottom of the container is August 18, 2022.
I wouldn't be surprised if all "Kroger brand" foods are just repackaged from other companies. I know for a fact that many are, since I stock and have on a couple occasions received a case from another name brand that had Kroger-branded product inside.
The Quaker Oats I just had for breakfast have that same gross lilac-dish-detergent taste. Other batches of Quaker Oats over the years have had that same taste, too. I wonder if this is something that some people can taste and some people cant ~ like how people either have a genetic disposition to like or hate the taste of cilantro ~ because I just asked another family member to try some oatmeal from the same container and he didnt notice anything unusual about it. Best by date on the bottom of the container is August 18, 2022.
I wouldn't be surprised if all "Kroger brand" foods are just repackaged from other companies. I know for a fact that many are, since I stock and have on a couple occasions received a case from another name brand that had Kroger-branded product inside.
Or more correctly, many of the products bearing KROGER labels are EXACTLY the same products as other equivalent "store brands" simply because they were both processed / packaged / canned / filled at the same facility. In other words, say (just for a hypothetical example) we are talking about canned green beans. The assembly line may fill several tens of thousands (or whatever number would be correct) of cans of green beans and with the machinery automatically slapping the KROGER brand paper labels on the cans, and then later, even the same day or the next day, a huge batch of cans (with the same green beans) are labeled with another store brand's labels.
This happens a lot and I have to laugh sometimes because people think they can tell the difference between two store brands (being brainwashed by looking at the pasted-on label) that were actually packaged at the very SAME facility. Yeah, sure, sometimes one brand can really be better than another (if they are processed or packaged by two unrelated processing companies), but in many cases they are EXACTLY the same product and the customer is just imagining a difference!!!!
I am glad I found this comment. I am having the same issue and have had to throw full containers of oatmeal due to soapy taste. At first I wondered if my dishes were having soap residue so I rinsed them several times and tried eating other things to see if soapy flavor would bleed into my food but found no other food tasting like soap but my oatmeal. I wonder if some oatmeal got contaminated at the manufacturing level. If anyone has found any article regarding this issue please let me know. Thanks
I am glad I found this comment. I am having the same issue and have had to throw full containers of oatmeal due to soapy taste. At first I wondered if my dishes were having soap residue so I rinsed them several times and tried eating other things to see if soapy flavor would bleed into my food but found no other food tasting like soap but my oatmeal. I wonder if some oatmeal got contaminated at the manufacturing level. If anyone has found any article regarding this issue please let me know. Thanks
Can you PLEASE post the exact brand name, size, etc, of the box of oatmeal you are referring to, and tell us the exact SELL BY DATE and other info (such as a code number) on the bottom of the box??
I am glad I found this comment. I am having the same issue and have had to throw full containers of oatmeal due to soapy taste. At first I wondered if my dishes were having soap residue so I rinsed them several times and tried eating other things to see if soapy flavor would bleed into my food but found no other food tasting like soap but my oatmeal. I wonder if some oatmeal got contaminated at the manufacturing level. If anyone has found any article regarding this issue please let me know. Thanks
As a stock person, I can tell you my store very often gets product in less than stellar condition. We get soap and disinfectant stacked on top of product like outmeal and rice. If something edible even looks like it might have soap on it, we don't put it out. We also get damaged/open containers that immediately get thrown into the damaged bins. It could be a problem with manufacturing, but I'd put money on bad quality control from the stock team.
I'm an employee of Kroger, as well as a customer (of course) and over the last 3 months or so I've noticed that the smaller boxes of KROGER brand oatmeal (quick / one minute type) has a definite 'soapy' taste and smell. It is very noticeable to me, as soon as I open the box (so I know it isn't because I have kept it too long or next to detergents here at my home). The taste is odd, sorta like a very faint detergent/floor cleaner mixed with a faint 'floral' smell. i suspect it might be from the overnight floor cleaner operator spraying the mist onto the floor and some of it oversprays a little onto the lowest shelf (where this product is usually stocked) and somehow the smell soaking into the cardboard. Or maybe it is because of them being stored in the backroom? There are several sell-by dates involved including 6-8-2018. I found that hard to understand because I thought there was a thin 'waxy' coating on the outside of the cardboard oatmeal boxes so this shouldn't happen. But I am very sensitive to odd smells and tastes, and I KNOW this is NOT my imagination. I have refrained from saying anything to my managers here at my kroger, mostly because I think they will not believe me, will think I am being petty, or just ignore it. As far as I know, no regular customers have mentioned it in the surveys or in verbal comments.
So, my question is: Have any of you employees at ANY Kroger or affiliated stores noticed anything like this before? I changed brands to a nationwide name brand (Quaker, much more expensive) nearby on the same shelf, and it tasted and smelled pefectly normal and good. I even bought a different brand at Walmart, and a few days ago, at Aldis (much cheaper ........all were just fine.
And you ate detergent? Dish Detergent was it tide pods? Well fiddle dee dee!! I told you not to do that.
I guess you said a bad word like the F---- word and your Mama washed your mouth out with Life Boy Soap.
-- Edited by i386 on Friday 12th of November 2021 09:33:58 PM
-- Edited by i386 on Friday 12th of November 2021 09:36:12 PM
I recently purchased Quaker rolled oats and noticed immediately upon making a smoothie that it tasted off. The only ingredient that was new was the oats. When I smelled the oats it smelled like Fabuloso. I had just purchased them that day and did not store them in any cabinet with anything other than food.I knew it was fabuloso as I worked with it at my last job and am repelled by the smell. I called poison control to make sure I would be fine and they said it was unlikely with the one sip I took that it would cause any issues because it's an irritant I could have some throat discomfort or vomit. I didn't. I reported it to the store and to the company.
It's April of 2022 and this is still an issue. Quaker Quick 1-Minute Oats purchased in the 42 oz container. Best By date is September 23 2022. The first bite tasted like laundry soap. Threw out the batch and on hold with Quaker customer service.
Yep I taste it too. I just ordered 6 boxes from Amazon and all the boxes taste like soap. is there a lot number or something that shows that it was from the same batch as yours? Mine expires 7/12/23 CC 12:30
It might be a reaction between the oats and the minerals in your tap water. Try making it with bottled water and see if it still tastes soapy.
You may mean well, but that suggestion is Total Nonsense. When you open one brand of oatmeal, use tap water, mix and put in microwave and it tastes fine, but then open another brand, do the exact same thing with the same tap water, but it tastes soapy, that proves that the taste is coming from the oatmeal, not the water from the faucet!!!
BTW, I am the original poster of this thread. I haven't noticed this soap taste in the Kroger brand oatmeal since late 2017. The other, subsequent posters (over the past few years) are about other brands and other regions, even outside the US.
Not sure what is going on, but I honestly thing it has something to do with the processing equipment in the oats processing plants.......... they no doubt have to clean the equipment periodically, and the detergents used to clean and sanitize are not completely rinsed off before the equipment is put back in service. That would be my guess anyhow....................
Kroger-Employee wrote:Not sure what is going on, but I honestly thing it has something to do with the processing equipment in the oats processing plants.......... they no doubt have to clean the equipment periodically, and the detergents used to clean and sanitize are not completely rinsed off before the equipment is put back in service. That would be my guess anyhow....................
I can understand how there might be a problem with soap residue in one processing plant, but not multiple ones all at the same time. Besides, there hasn't been a recall on oatmeal except for products that contain ingredients not listed on the label.
Here's one possible explanation:
The oat grain consists of the groat (caryopsis) and the surrounding hull (husk). Only the groat is required for milled products while the indigestible hull must be separated and removed in a de-hulling (shelling) stage. The groat has a lipid content which is 2-5 times that of wheat. It also has an active lipase that is separated from the lipid in the intact seed, which can lead to hydrolysis resulting in a soapy taste in final products. This means that the lipase needs inactivation by a process called stabilisation to avoid these undesirable effects in processed products. This is usually achieved by kilning or cooking.
So the soapy taste suggests a default of processing. But could it also be caused or be aggravated after the processing: during the transport, storage, sell if the hygrometry is not tightly controlled? If it's the case, (if the soapy taste indicates that the oats have (also) taken moisture), it should alert on the possible development of aflatoxins produced by some common molds.
it should alert on the possible development of aflatoxins produced by some common molds.
My understanding is that the soapy flavor comes from the fatty acids(lipids) in the oats breaking down, which is caused by hydrolysis(chemical reaction from introducing water/humidity). The presence of that moisture is a cause for concern of molds, some of which release mycotoxins like aflatoxins.
I am not a Kroger employee, but I have purchased rolled oats there for years. Lately, the rolled oats (I buy the gluten free organic Nature's Path brand) have had a floral scent and taste, both in the packaging and in the oats. I have also had the same experience with Bob's Red Mill organic gluten-free rolled oats that I got at Target. I live in Louisville, KY. I'd love to know if anyone out there has found an organic gluten-free brand that doesn't have this problem?
My soapy oatmeal is Nature's Path Organic Gluten-Free old fashioned rolled oats. Size is 18 oz. It was purchased on 3/15/23, at the Middletown, KY store, 12501 Shelbyville Road 40243; 502-244-7957. The bottom says: Best before: 2024JUN20A12 03:20
However, I've had the same problem with other brands of rolled oats purchased elsewhere.
When I add water to the oatmeal, I get a frothy layer on top that I must rinse away. the natural chemicals may taste like soap, but they shouldn't bubble up like soap. Going to stop using.
I live in County Roscommon in Ireland, I too have noticed that my oatmeal has that detergent taste/smell. I first noticed it a couple of months ago and I blamed myself for it, thinking that I must have had some kind of detergent close to the package at some stage. My friend paid a visit and gave me a kilo of oatmeal decanted from a bigger bag as she had made a bulk purchase and didn't want it hanging around too long. That too tasted soapy. This is serious, there is something sinister going on in the world. Has anybody else had the same experience?
I have noticed it too. Its not just oatmeal, and not just Kroger. I can smell it in Harris Teeter fresh pizza slices, and their baby potatoes plastic net smells like it too, Wegmans grains (the plastic bags smell like they were stored in a powder detergent, Wegmans wrapped cheese also has the soap taste, they also wash lettuce in chlorine solutions. The products that come to mind that might cause the absorption are Gain and Tide, beep detergents. Not only are they harmful when absorbed by the skin from the clothes, but they also float through neighborhoods when people do their laundry.
I am on the autism spectrum, and an HSP. I sensed a fire in the attic at the school were I taught 2 hrs before the fire alarm went off. And I too have noticed that all these toxic smells and tastes started around 2017. Dont feel like you will be seen as petty. You have a gift that can help others that dont have the sensitivity, or are sensitized to the harmful chemicals since birth with their brain thinking this is normal. It is not.mIt is harmful. It attacks the nervous system and skin to mention just a few. I would even think that the insane increase in brain tumors in children should be closely researched. Then you have parents that voluntarily spray some chemicals over their babys mattress just so it smells good. They are unaware of the harm they are causing.
Hi, Anna. I started noticing it in the fall of 2019 in my dentist's office, which, coincidentally, was right before COVID hit here. I had to stop going to the dentist and had dental work left undone because I and my clothing reeked by the time I left. I have many allergies, including all fragrances. My reactions might be sneezing, rash, itchy eyes, headache, and/or migraine. Right after I stopped going to the dentist, I noticed it in food stores, discount stores, almost everywhere I shopped. One of the worst things about it was that the stores didn't smell, but as soon as I would get out in the open, I could smell it. I had to return items, including food items, to Walmart and Target because I had no idea in the store that they were "contaminated." I spent quite a bit of time online searching for someone else that had the same experiences, and finally found a post from a man who ranted about the things his wife bought and brought home that smelled like they were chemically contaminated. I wore masks during COVID, but it didn't help a lot when going to Target...Target was so bad I could smell it as I approached the doors. When I spoke to the manager, she denied they were using anything in the building.
I think we just need to keep talking about how harmful the chemicals are, not to mention how unnecessary. If humans, by now, aren't used to the wide variety of natural smells, the nice and the icky, we might benefit from a little work in the areas of patience and tolerance.
Hi, Anna. I started noticing it in the fall of 2019 in my dentist's office, which, coincidentally, was right before COVID hit here. I had to stop going to the dentist and had dental work left undone because I and my clothing reeked by the time I left. I have many allergies, including all fragrances. My reactions might be sneezing, rash, itchy eyes, headache, and/or migraine. Right after I stopped going to the dentist, I noticed it in food stores, discount stores, almost everywhere I shopped. One of the worst things about it was that the stores didn't smell, but as soon as I would get out in the open, I could smell it. I had to return items, including food items, to Walmart and Target because I had no idea in the store that they were "contaminated." I spent quite a bit of time online searching for someone else that had the same experiences, and finally found a post from a man who ranted about the things his wife bought and brought home that smelled like they were chemically contaminated. I wore masks during COVID, but it didn't help a lot when going to Target...Target was so bad I could smell it as I approached the doors. When I spoke to the manager, she denied they were using anything in the building.
I think we just need to keep talking about how harmful the chemicals are, not to mention how unnecessary. If humans, by now, aren't used to the wide variety of natural smells, the nice and the icky, we might benefit from a little work in the areas of patience and tolerance.
........all were just fine. 
