Pretty much all of them … fresh and processed
But seriously, for those old enough to remember
what they once were … swanson’s
turkey TV dinners 
not even remotely the same thing
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I used to buy Granny Smith apples at the supermarket when I couldn’t get any local apples, because they at least used to have some flavor. But I’m convinced that they have been bred to be sweeter and have less sharpness to them than they used to. Especially over the last couple of years they seem to have had all of the life bred out of them.
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And what happened to the little brown cap on the stem side? Or am I thinking of Pippins, which I very, very rarely see anymore.
That’s the advantage that they won’t get spoil during the transport and look pretty in store. I did have some chance with some, after 2 weeks sitting on the kitchen counter, they did evolve a bit and get more “eatable”. But generally I give up except buying store cherry tomatoes in rare times, I preferred canned or bottled ones for cooking.
That’s no good, I like Granny Smith only because of its acidity and sharpness. Why not eat another apple if you want a sweeter one!
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I suggest there are a number of elements and they may differ by product.
Changes in ingredients, process, and transportation may result from availability, profit motives, customer expectations (such as shelf life and appearance), and regulation.
As we get older our tastes change, some from experience and some from normal aging.
For example the Wendy’s hamburgers I remember fondly from my youth don’t taste the same. I’m going to speculate on the reasons: lettuce and tomato quality is down due to the supply chain; bun quality is down due to pressure on margins; my standards are higher from experience; probably other things.
Truck farms and farmer’s markets don’t really help as they are all growing the same stuff, unless you can find someone growing heirloom varieties (which are expensive). Organic is no panacea, it’s just expensive.
I tend to agree with your assessment, Dave. While some taste elements change in the manufacturing of the food or product, some change may just be in the aging palate…
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The older mom gets (now 88), the more hot sauce and pepper gets used.
But fruits (cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple, etc) have definitely lost their sweetness.
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My list would go on forever. I probably complain about this way too much. Eyes will start to roll at the dinner table, “Why not just list the things that still do taste the same?”
Even Farmer’s Market produce is being affected. My theory is because there is a lot more greenhouse-type growing. It’s the biggest change I’ve seen visiting farms around Baltimore. And some varieties, especially strawberries, that tasted better were too difficult to transport and customers won’t buy mushy strawberries even if they are twice as delicious. I can’t blame them, I have absolutely exhausted myself trying to “organically” grow tomatoes and strawberries. I once saw a book titled something like “Raising tomatoes and children”. I never read the book, but, just by reading the title, I knew I could handle having kids.
I agree with you so much regarding the farmers markets. They’ve become commodified. For two weeks, everyone sells asparagus. For three weeks everyone sells melons, or peaches. But strawberries, tomatoes, and arugala last all summer.
My neighbor’s fig trees fruit for two to three months, but at the market , they only offer figs for two to three weeks. The crops aren’t staggered at all by the farms.
Also, there are no new interesting finds. I understand it’s economical to sell what people want, but every stand sells the same varieties of tangerines, carrots and green beans, lettuce, herbs, etc. nothing is new or exciting anymore.
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Finally, something good about living in a relatively small and isolated area. Our growers markets are local and organic and chock full of delicious stuff www.rvgrowersmarket.com
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It is usually hard, or impossible, to determine whether this change is due to manufacturing differences or the perception of the individual. Our palates change with age, medication, and other factors like smoking or loss of the sense of smell.
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Sometimes, but even my kid knows that Saltines are unpalatable, and that strawberries or tomatoes from a farmers market are better than those from a supermarket.
Here’s another one: Has anyone else noticed that Campbell’s soup decided to lower sodium content by replacing NaCl (sodium chloride) with KCl (potassium chloride)? The soup tastes metallic and flat now. (The man grew up on canned soup; when he is ill, that’s what he wants. 
)
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My biggest problem with Thomas’ is they do not split evenly. One side ends up so thin it gets mangled in the toaster. Gave up on those and now I buy the Trader Joe’s. I pretty much avoid anything with partially hydrogenated soybean oil or soy flour which almost everything “BIG FOOD” makes. Take Hellman’s Mayonaise. I switched to Sir Kensington and now I find that has been bought out by Unilever. Just because of that I will buy something else.
Doing my best not to support Unilever, Kraft or any of the giants.
I hate that! I don’t like the big, thick side. I find Bays, which are already split, are also uneven, but there, one section of the same half will be thicker than another.
Fresh blueberries: No fragrance/flavor and they’re HUGE. I now prefer some of the frozen ones. They’re much smaller and taste better.
Best/Hellman’s Mayo: Grew up on the stuff, never had a problem with until a few years ago when it started tasting way too much like Miracle Whip. It’s less readily available but I now use Trader Joe’s Organic. No sweeteners on its label and - no surprise – it tastes “right.”
this is another thing I notice lately with produce. Try finding a small apple or onion in a standard market these days–it can be really hard. They’ve all been engineered to be gigantic, since you have to pay by the pound.
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Yes … this in combination with tastelessness totally freaks me out!
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Yodels/Ring Dings, bleah
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So sad! And the new Hostess cupcakes too!
