CoOp food sacndal waste...

frugalstephen

This morning at my local CoOp, I picked up 2 x packs of Pataks poppadums that were reduced. A household favourite, I was feeling quite smug with myself. However, on getting to the till they refused to sell me them as they were one day over their 'best before' date! Then the thing that makes me angry, apparently it's 'health & safety' risk! LOL Gezze, these items have a shelf life of 9 months, but magically turn into something dangerous overnight? Do they not understand the difference between 'best before', and 'use by'?



Then the girl literally threw them in the bin behind the counter!


:mad: I am so angry on so many levels. I have used this product before 6 months past their date (pop them in a hot over for 2 minutes and they return to being super crispy). In the age we live in, to throw perfectly good food in the bin is verging on criminal!



Anyone aware of a campaign to stop this stupidity? I'd like to sign up. As for the CoOp, I will be making a conscious effort not to shop there in future...

Farway

Quite common unfortunately, but my Co op does sell the BBE stuff, as do many other shops, ref the Yellow Stickers

I suspect your assistant was poorly trained and not knowing the difference between "BB" and "Use by"

Where I volunteer we are given free food that is not suitable for sale but still edible, this includes out of date veg, which we all know does not go out of date, just does not look superb

As for organisation, how about Fare Share?


Regarding not shopping there, check out https://www.coop.co.uk/environment/food-share, seems Co Op is already member, try a polite non rant letter or e mail to HO which hopefully will get better training for local staff and resolve the waste from your shop

unrecordings

Try complaining and you'll get the usual 'we're sorry your customer experience didn't meet our usual high standards'

I'd maybe try an email to Pataks, at least they're more likely to care

frugalstephen

Actually, it was the young sales assistant that was quite sympathetic, it was when she just double checked with the manager that it all went south! Her existing 'training' led her to tell me that if I got ill eating them, I could sue them and she would be fired! LOL She was of an age too that looked as if she should have had some common sense, but as my mum keeps telling me, common sense really isn't that common.


I was brought up by a 'war child', mum taught me on shopping for food to use my eyes, and nose, to ensure freshness. Food, in the 'olden' days was not dated, but we all coped very well.



The intransigence shown on a printed BB date being one day over was just incredulous... I worked in retail for over 40 years, and as you say, writing to the CoOp I just know I'd get the generic, "we're sorry our service on this occasion didn't live up to expectations...". I just wanted to vent some frustration LOL Thanks guys...

KatrinaWaves

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6019145/asda-not-removed-out-of-date-gherkins-from-sale&highlight=gherkins

proof shops really cannot win!

frugalstephen

That thread is hilarious! It's exactly the kind of thing the word, 'snowflake' was invented for! I pickle my own cucumbers, and onions, and these things could survive a nuclear attack! I have quite happily eaten 'pickles' years past their BB date. Honestly, how do some folk get out of bed in the morning :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

This happened to me with a cake on their reduced line in 2016, got to the counter and told we cannot sell it (blue coloured store) so they got a fresher dated cake and had to sell that at the reduced price.

Shopped at a green coloured one Monday and got a sandwich, garlic flat bread on reduced lines but recall they were actually Monday's date.

Lip_Stick

Head office, in my supermarket , dictates that food after the BB is not sold. I bet your item does not get wasted though, despite it looking as though it was binned. It could be used for animal feed, recycled for fuel or sold to a discount store, (that's unlikely with it being a single unit).