sold meat 3 days out of "use by date"

societys_child

There was tv program a few years back . . some major supermarkets were re-labeling unsold fresh meat products and putting them back on sale the following day. No one got "done" for it, they were just showing it happens.

I wonder how long some meat has been transported/ stored/ transported again/ stored/ butchered, before someone finally puts a use-by sticker on it?

mo786uk

Use by - used on stuff that can make you ill - meat, yoghurt, milk - illegal to sell after this date

Best before - will probably not taste as nice but won't make you ill - biscuits, crisps - not illegal to sell after this date unless it is seriously bad if eaten by the customer.

sell by and display until are terms used by supermarkets to help themselves know when to get rid of a produc by. They will probably be a few days before the above terms. As far as I know, they have no actual legal standing. You may find products with both a use by and a best before date on it. One tells the shop when they should take it off display and one tells the customer when it goes off.

The use by and best before date system is pretty straightforward but the general public are probably confused by all these masses of words. the terms sell by may have had legal standing previously, I am unsure.

paddyrg

societys_child wrote: »

I wonder how long some meat has been transported/ stored/ transported again/ stored/ butchered, before someone finally puts a use-by sticker on it?

A friend had to dob in his employer some years back, the meat would go out in unrefrigerated vans relabelled over and over, then became mince, then faggots/sausages. Company got inspected and closed down, but I have no doubt it still goes on, especiially at the sub-premium end of the market.

halibut2209

I've been getting posters mixed up as well as falling victim to editing.

In short, I agree with mo786uk and disagree with society's child.

societys_child

halibut2209 wrote: »

In short, I agree with mo786uk and disagree with society's child.

I have to admit I didn't know "use-by" had any legal standing, (although it can still be sold provided the customer is made aware?)

I thought the food had be "unfit" for any prosecution to take place.

I stand corrected.:o

Of course the OPs food was marked with a use-by date which he should have seen (I always check) and the manager offered a replacement/ refund. Don't think I'd have bothered ranting on a forum.

A problem for supermarkets is customers who pick something, then change their mind halfway down the next isle and just plonk the stuff back on the nearest shelf or fridge.

Oopsadaisy

Sue them, get compo, spend it on fags and booze...job done.

vuvuzela

Bit of a drama queen over-reaction "probably be another few years before my confidence returns to shop with them again"
Lesson here - look at the dates of things when you pick them up instead of being smug about doing a simple task to help your family

andy.m_2

OP, with respect; if you are not going to shop there for a few years yet, why do you suppose that they will give a hoot about you?
Why do you also feel you are entitled to compo, at best it should be either refunded or replaced joint with a small contribution towards your petrol for the repeat journey.

Ringing another store for their policy is crazy, it is just that, a policy. Why do all stores have to use the same policy?
If they did that then there would be no competition and price savings to be had.

Finally, learn a lesson and look at use by dates and select the joint with the longest period to run, in this case you failed !!! much as the supermarket. Same with milk and not surprisingly it's the same with all persishable produce.

It's not rocket science

andy.m_2

doh, point made by vuvuzela in the time it took me to make a coffee and hit send!

mo786uk

societys_child wrote: »

I have to admit I didn't know "use-by" had any legal standing, (although it can still be sold provided the customer is made aware?)

I thought the food had be "unfit" for any prosecution to take place.

Use by cannot be sold at all.

TBH the rate at which supermarkets go through fresh food SHOULD make it quite rare for things to stay on the shelves for that long. for example at a busy Tesco I would expect milk to be sold pretty much on the day it came it.

only for the stuff which sells really slowly will it become an issue.