pickle bought 1yr out of date!!

mutley74

my mum bought a pickle from a foreign food shop as it was marked down to a £1. When she got home I noticed the use by date was May 2013.

I know its only a £1 but what is the law on this? I said she should take it back, but does she have a right? I mean a month out of date is acceptable but a year is taking the mickey.

daveybea

i would contact trading standards and see what they suggest

DPJames

Foreign food shop?

Lidl?

mutley74

DPJames wrote: »

Foreign food shop?

Lidl?

no..a local shop that caters for foreign food specialties, Lidl sells everyday things

browneyedbazzi

It is illegal to sell highly perishable food past its 'use-by' date.

It is not illegal to sell other foods past their 'best before' date unless the food has become harmful to health. Just because something is a year past a best before date doesn't mean it is harmful - it may not be at its best in terms of taste/texture/colour but may be perfectly safe to eat.

geordie_joe

mutley74 wrote: »

my mum bought a pickle from a foreign food shop as it was marked down to a £1. When she got home I noticed the use by date was May 2013.

Are you sure it was a use by date? Use by dates are normally for food that has a short life and goes off quickly i.e. it can be ok to eat one day and bad the next. They also have a specific date e.g "use by 19 May" not the month and year.

Pickle was invented as a way of making things last a long time, it can last for years if made properly. I don't see how anyone could say that pickle would be ok to eat on 31 May 2013 and not ok to eat on 1 June 2013 at the time of manufacture.

dlusman

I would be happy eating pickle that is a year or two after its date

Check the jar again -
As others have said, pickle is unlikely to have a "use-by" date

stephen77

It will be a best before date on pickle. Lots of acidity to stop growth on micro-organisms.


While its legal to sell. Its probably against lidl policy to sell products past there best before dates.
I guess if you took it back they would exchange it.
Some one not been paying attention in stock rotation.

dlusman

stephen77 wrote: »

It will be a best before date on pickle. Lots of acidity to stop growth on micro-organisms.


While its legal to sell. Its probably against lidl policy to sell products past there best before dates.
I guess if you took it back they would exchange it.
Some one not been paying attention in stock rotation.

read the posts again - its NOT Lidl , but a local shop

Product was marked-down so I presume store knew it was past its date ( and it was possibly also described as such )

SuperHan

It was probably why it was marked down. They may offer a refund if you take it back, but as said above it'll have a best before date so there are no laws on selling it after this time.

peachyprice

Anyone else remember they didn't even put date on pickle? Oh for those sensible days.