Sold food past its use by date

[SquidgeyMidgey]

I've just noticed that a couple of the items (fish & pork) I bought yesterday are dated 26th Dec. The supermarket isn't answering the phone and it's about a 25 minute drive on frozen country roads. Who would I report this to in terms of a food safety issue, is it environmental health? I don't visit that store often but once before found an item on the shelf that was past its date and quietly handed it in.

You might be overreacting slightly. Environmental health?

Possibly, but their stock rotation seems to need a boot up the proverbial. I don't go there often and it's the second time. I also have £8 of pork/fish that's unusable. I'm glad I noticed before I fed it to DCs.

Take it back with your receipt and get a refund. It's a mistake, no need to do anything else.

Take it back with a receipt. Shouldn't he a problem

Wasn't lidl was it? They don't seem to care if foods growing on the shelves in pursuing. I've pointed it out to staff a couple of times.

Legal matters ....maybe take it back when you get chance and get a refund and possibly a voucher etc?

That's why I always check dates before I buy them. Take it back and get a refund/exchange

I think it's Trading standards. Asda near where I used to work got prosecuted for it.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/6684295.stm

I know legal matters is a little ott, I was going to put it in food but wasn't sure

It's nearly an hour's round trip on bad roads that would cost as much in petrol as the refund. It was Sainsbury's and I do normally check dates fastidiously but at the end of the day I shouldn't have to.

Your local Env Health Dept should have an online reporting function - take pics of the food with the dates on, put it in the freezer if possible in case they want to see it, and keep the receipt. If it's a supermarket, then the receipt will allow the product to be traced from the barcode - smaller stores should keep manual records of the batch numbers of perishable foods they sell.

This is something that should be reported - use by dates are to maintain food safety and stores that repeatedly flout the rules are not only putting customers lives at risk (I've seen prosecutions due to outbreaks of food poisoning) but also have an unfair trading advantage over other stores which remain legal.

Oh I had a good result with this...

I had some grapes from Aldi that went off.

I just sent them a message via messenger. I was very polite, and said I didn't have a receipt but asked whether there was anything they would do. I paid by cash as well.

Anyway, they firstly said they'd need a receipt and I could bin the grapes and get a full refund. I said I didn't have one, and it'd just have to chalk it up to experience. I thanked her for her help.

Then they came back with a reference number to get a refund when I next went in.

I thought that was marvellous.

So photo and contact customer services would be my advice.

My Sainsbury's is notorious for this. I have to check every date because it's a frequent problem.