Out of date food in supermarkets

Went to the Waitrose branch today and thought I'd have a look at the biscuits and there was one left which expired yesterday so took it to the customer service till and she immediately realised and then I told her we bought some a few days ago which were past their expiry dates and she gave a double refund. Advised her to check all the other same brand biscuits cos i noticed a few others which were close to there expiry dates so she sent one of her staff to check it.
 
Store that I work in, nothing can be sold past its date, regardless of its a best before, display until or use by.

Things that are due to expire on that date get reduced to clear, by sell by date, meaning if somebody forgets to lift it off at the end of the night if it hasn't sold, the following day the barcode on the reduced label won't allow it to be sold, will tell whoever is on the till, out of date
 
I must admit I check the dates on everything I buy.

Sometimes you cant blame the staff as I do see people pulling stuff from the shelf and putting back in different places, hence the goods do get mixed up the long dates are not always at the back.

Anyway common sense comes into play if it don't smell/look good - don't eat it.

Use by and best before

Use by
You will see "use by" dates on food that goes off quickly, such as smoked fish, meat products and ready-prepared salads.
Don't use any food or drink after the end of the "use by" date on the label, even if it looks and smells fine. This is because using it after this date could put your health at risk.
For the "use by" date to be a valid guide, you must follow storage instructions such as "keep in a refrigerator". If you don't follow these instructions, the food will spoil more quickly and you may risk food poisoning.
If a food can be frozen its life can be extended beyond the "use by" date. But make sure you follow any instructions on the pack, such as "freeze on day of purchase", "cook from frozen" or "defrost thoroughly before use and use within 24 hours".
Once a food with a "use by" date on it has been opened, you also need to follow any instructions such as "eat within three days of opening".
But remember, if the "use by" is tomorrow, then you must use the food by the end of tomorrow, even if the label says "eat within a week of opening" and you have only opened the food today.
Best before
"Best before" dates appear on a wide range of frozen, dried, tinned and other foods.
Except in the case of eggs, "best before" dates are about quality, not safety. When the date is passed, it doesn't mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture.
Every year in the UK we throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food and drink, most of which could have been eaten. So think carefully before throwing away food past its "best before’" date.
However, you shouldn't eat eggs after the "best before" date. This is because eggs can contain Salmonella bacteria, which could multiply to high levels if you keep them after this date.
Remember, the "best before" date will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label, such as "store in a cool dry place" or "keep in the fridge once opened".
Display until and sell by

Date marks such as "display until" or "sell by'"often appear near or next to the "best before" or "use by" date. These are instructions for shop staff , not for shoppers.
The important dates for you to look for are the "use by" and "best before" dates.
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8.3 million tonnes of food thrown away each year because we are to frightened to eat it. Staggering !
 
Makes me laugh when people complain about certain items being out of date. I say certain cos you have to be careful with meat and fish. But 24 hours after the date on a chicken breast for example wont kill you. Even more so for packaged foods like cakes and bread, the minute it goes past the date it dosent turn green, grow fluff and start twitching. We use bread in our house sometimes 3-4 days out of date, its still fine. When you can visibly see mold on it then fine, its duff but oow look that pack of ham went out of date yesterday. So!? Its fine, just eat it.
 
neoglow said:
Makes me laugh when people complain about certain items being out of date. I say certain cos you have to be careful with meat and fish. But 24 hours after the date on a chicken breast for example wont kill you. Even more so for packaged foods like cakes and bread, the minute it goes past the date it dosent turn green, grow fluff and start twitching. We use bread in our house sometimes 3-4 days out of date, its still fine. When you can visibly see mold on it then fine, its duff but oow look that pack of ham went out of date yesterday. So!? Its fine, just eat it.
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ive had bread 1 week past its date and its still been perfectly fine its kept in our pantry cupboard where the temps are similar to fridge temps though.

in the summer i usually keep bread in the fridge it tastes fine and makes sure it doesnt go mouldy quick from the high tempratures
 
Bought a little carton of half and half for my coffee and it was 1 week out of date. I emailed the store and the manager phoned me back and gave me a $25 gift card.
 
lemonade said:
Went to the Waitrose branch today and thought I'd have a look at the biscuits and there was one left which expired yesterday so took it to the customer service till and she immediately realised and then I told her we bought some a few days ago which were past their expiry dates and she gave a double refund.
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And it's that sort of service that sets Waitrose apart from the other supermarkets. Good stuff.

neoglow said:
Makes me laugh when people complain about certain items being out of date.
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There's a huge difference between choosing to consume something that you have allowed to go out of date and being sold something that's out of date.
 
I once ate half a pasty from a small village post office, before noticing it was covered in mould, several weeks out of date. Didn't even get food poisoning.
 
Well yes true you might not always get food poisoning or the food might still be edible, but this won't always be the case thus personally I think it's wrong to shelve and sell food that are out of date to unknowing customers. Those cup cakes I bought from Tesco were two days out of date, I ate one of them and my sisters ate the rest and we was fine and it tasted normal. But those McVities were really off, damp and had white stuff on them, they were 2 weeks out of date. It is big shame that so much food is wasted when they are edible and there are people out there who have no food, but perhaps the supermarkets should do something to prevent this.
 
Got some out of date cheese at sainsburies the other day, noticed at the checkout and got it swapped. I think they can get fined if you have proof. It is a bit of 21st century first world problem 'oh no the food is a bit out of date lets chuck it'.
 
It is legal for a store to products after the 'best before' date with eggs being the exception, they have to be sold 7 days before the 'best before'

It is illegal to sell products after the 'use by' dates though, these are the ones TS will fine you for if they find a lot in store, they will normally ask the store to see there food managment plan if they just find some 'best befores'.

You can check some councils food inspections by using the scores of the doors website though.
 
Can't say i take a blind bit of notice about sell by dates tbh, i have eaten loads of food that has been past it's use by date, never once had food poisioning, just have a look at it, give it a sniff and if it smells and looks fine then just eat it.

The strange squeamishness of people around best before dates and the like astounds me, if it looks fine and smells fine just man up and bloody eat it.
 
Ivyforce said:
It is illegal to sell products after the 'use by' dates though
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No it isn't.

It is perfectly acceptable to sell products after the 'use by' date as long as they are clearly labelled as such. However, most shops and supermarkets will not bother to even entertain the idea as it's not worth the hassle from customers and as such it's usually store policy that once the food has passed 'that' date it should not be sold.
 
Ivyforce said:
It is legal for a store to products after the 'best before' date with eggs being the exception, they have to be sold 7 days before the 'best before'
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In some cases Best Before can even be calculated from the date of packing and not the date of production. The best before can then be extended just by repacking.
 
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