Old food

Every county fair item I've bought in the past few months have been old. Once cooked, there is a black layer of what looks like mould between the chicken and the outer layer of crumbled batter(for lack of better word). This includes the chicken steaklets and the cheesy bites. It also has a weird smell. I've always been a fan of country fair because it was tasty, quick and easy to make but of late I regret every purchase I made. The worst thing is, the items are very far from their expiration date!