Yeah I hear you Cause.
I was getting concerned why things do not seem to mold or expire at my place. I can't be that clean...
Nor is it that cool and dry here.
So I suspect some is preservatives, some is cleaner food processing facilities, and higher standards.
Does anyone remember eating gummie candies that were actually made of gelatin and not corn starch? The ones i find now are cornstarch+corn syrup.
I recently bought a store brand of cottage cheese. main ingredient was WHEAT! Yes, wheat. Little gluten balls floating in milk. It tasted like that too. very bad, I threw it out.