A village shop owner faces fines for selling food products past their use-by dates, posing a consumer health risk.
Someone complained to the council. The trading standards department checked the store and found many old food items, including ham, meatballs, and pasties. The food was two to three days past its use-by date.
The list included other expired items like profiteroles, some eight days old. Basil pesto pasta and a steak slice were also found past their dates, along with hot meatballs and smoked ham.
The council said to check dates twice a day, indicating missed checks would have been numerous. This included missed checks for profiteroles (16), pasta (8), steak slice and meatballs (6), and ham (4).
Another shop owner was recently fined after the council found food six months past its date. The council now asks people to check dates when buying things to ensure safety.
Food laws clearly state selling unsafe food is wrong. These laws ensure food safety and proper labels, making sure food is safe to sell to people. These rules come from general food regulations.
Mr. Singh admitted his mistakes in court and apologized for the incident at his shop. He said he’s fixing the problem to prevent this from happening again. He paid over £1,700 in fines and costs.
A council member spoke about the issue, emphasizing that shops must sell safe food. Councillor Harris noted that use-by dates are vital for safety and are set by manufacturers.
He also noted that consumers must not need to check dates, and shops lacking hygiene are unacceptable. Checking dates daily and removing old food matters to prevent these issues.
The councillor stated that Trading Standards helps food businesses a lot, and most shops follow safety rules well. He hopes this action warns other businesses to comply with safety rules, or face consequences.
Please call 0808 223 1133 if you see old food or call 0808 223 1144 to speak Welsh. Visit rctcbc.gov.uk/TradingStandards for more facts and to find out about food rules.
