Asda selling out of date food

MyRubyRed

Visited local Asda on New Years Eve and picked up (amongst a lot more) some reduced pate which we planned to have that evening. When I got home I peeled off the reduced label which was covering the sell by details. :eek: Display date showed 27 Dec, use by date 29th Dec. I called the store and explained the situation and the very nice lady told me to return the item and the receipt and I would get a full refund, not just the reduced price BUT THE FULL COST OF THE ITEM :T???
I explained that I wasn't too worried about the £1 odd but the fact that there were about 25 tubs of this stuff on the shelf which could well have had the same "use by" concerned me and as such would they please send someone down to check the shelf!!
I binned the offending item without going back for the refund but I'll think twice or thrice about picking up Adsa "bargains" again!!

glider3560

Lesson to be learnt: check the date first! I also learnt the hard way like you (about a year ago in Tesco). I now peel back the reduced label if it is covering the date, just to make sure.

pineapple

After watching a consumer program on TV I checked the sell by date of some mince pies at M&S. I was actually buying them for pre Christmas celebrations at the office so it was no big deal, but the use by date was actually before Christmas...

paddyrg

'Best Before' is for goods which spoil without serious risk to health (eg mince pies) - pate has a 'use by' date, as after that date it can be dangerous to health. It is a very serious matter. Public health would want to know if this is a regular thing.

paddedjohn

Is it not consumer law that food items have to display a use by date? If so wouldn't it be breaking the law to cover this date with a reduced sticker?

bcl999

I've had the opposite experience twice in the past week with their "ooops" items. On Saturday, I bought a load of 75% discounted Asda Extra Special Corn-fed chicken breasts which are dated 12 January. And last week, I bought a 75% discounted Extra Special Chilli & Rice which was dated for 9 January. Is there something i don't know about e.g. have these things been out of the "chill chain" or something & that's why they are selling them off so cheaply even thought they are well befoe expiry?

P.S. I've eaten the chilli and one of the chicken breasts and I'm still living.

fluffnutter

It's not illegal per se to sell out of date food. And I should imagine that covering the date was pure coincidence and not a deliberate ploy to fool customers. If you're bothered about dates, check before you buy. And don't believe the myths about 'use by' dates either. They're still only guidelines and food produced on the same day by the same manufacturer can easily leave the packaging firm with different dates depending on what shop it's destined for.

fluffnutter

bcl999 wrote: »

P.S. I've eaten the chilli and one of the chicken breasts and I'm still linving.

Sounds painful.

paddyrg

fluffnutter wrote: »

It's not illegal per se to sell out of date food... And don't believe the myths about 'use by' dates either. They're still only guidelines

FoodStandardsAgency wrote:

Shops are allowed to sell food after its 'best before' date has passed. 'best before' dates are concerned with quality rather than safety, so it doesn't mean that the food is dangerous if the 'best before' date has passed. However, if you buy food after the date, remember that it might no longer be at its best. 'Use by' dates are different to 'best before' dates and it is against the law to sell any food that has passed its 'use by' date. Using it after this date could put your health at risk. In all cases, whether or not the 'best before' date has expired, the law says that food sold must not put people's health at risk and must not be falsely or misleadingly described or presented.

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/foodlabels/asksamlabellingrules/#A220030 You may be thibnking of 'Display Until', 'Use By' has a very specific legal meaning :-)

fluffnutter

paddyrg wrote: »

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/foodlabels/asksamlabellingrules/#A220030 You may be thibnking of 'Display Until', 'Use By' has a very specific legal meaning :-)

Apparently Use By dates can differ (on the same products) depending on where the food is destined. E.g. two chickens slaughtered on the same day are being packaged in the same packaging plant. One is destined for e.g. the Co-op and has a Use By date four days hence. The other is destined for, say, Asda (which turns its food over quicker) and only has a date of three days hence. Makes a mockery of 'Use by' or you'll die, doesn't it?

whataday_2

It's illegal for a supermarket to sell out of date food and they can get a massive fine per item if trading standards officer comes to visit and find out.

Working at M&S in food section, I have to check for 'waste' almost every day that I go in. 'Waste' are all the food products that will go out of date (Display until) on that day.

If the products are damage, left out of the fridge for a while and have no date displaly, we have to get rid of them.

At my branch, if you're not checking waste thoughroughly and if a manager find an out of date foods on the shelf, obviously you'll be in trouble.