Sainsburys out of date food

[Kerrie78]

Hi.

I always do my weekly shop at Sainsburys but I thnk that may be about to change.

3 times out of the last 4 weeks I have had an out of date product.

The first time it was 2 joints of pork. Both were in date and stored in the fridge until we came to use them, upon opening the packet they smelt awful so ended up in the bin.

The week after I defrosted some chicken fillets ready for tea, got the Spanish chicken sauce out of the cupboard and that too was out of date. It was Sept 6th and the sauce was out of date end of Aug so that went in the bin aswell. I know it wasn't much out of date but we don't eat anything like that once the date has passed.

Last week I came to make some ready brek for my baby girl and I opened the box, then spotted the date. Best before July 06! 2 months out of date. That was the final straw, luckily I had the receipt so I took it back but the girl did not even apologise. She said i could have my refund of £1.85 and she would get the guy off the section to look at it.

I think the stock rotation system seriously needs looking at. Such a big supermarket should not be selling stuff that is 2 months out of date.

I know I should probably check the dates myself but getting round the supermarket with the kids in tow is bad enough without having to scrutinise each item!

[Bookworm]

No excuse for Sainsbury's, but you would save yourself a lot of money if you didn't fall for the "sell-by date" ploy, especially when it comes to packet/tinned/dry stuff!

 

The sell-by date was introduced to stop unscrupulous retailers/manufacturers stocking stuff for years on end. It is NOT an indication that the stuff is not fit for consumption.

 

It is a SELL-by date, not CONSUME-by.

 

TBH, even when it comes to fresh food, you should trust your nose, not the date on it. Chicken don't come with a eat-by date naturally tattooed on their backsides.

 

It makes us wonder how our species managed to survive for millenia...

[Switch]

I think also it was yet another ruling brought in by the European Union some time ago that all foods whether fresh produce or dry foods will have a sell by date on them.

[Batfink]

It amuses me when fruit & veg have sell by dates on. It's pretty easy to tell if an orange or a potato is no good (it's mouldy or green and sprouting!). I love buying reduced fruit! My best buy was a big punnet of kiwis for 20p that weren't ripe for another three weeks...

 

I also go a couple of days with meat/fish/chicken - as Bookworm says, you can really easily tell when they're not fit for consumption.

[Kerrie78]

I agree to an extent, but when it comes to stinking pork which you can smell as soon as you open the packet you know it's bad.

The sauce I could probably have eaten yes but I have a picky husband. But the ready brek was for our baby and I take absolutely no chances with her. It wasn't a sell by date that was on it. It was best before, so it's obviously 'best' eaten before the date has expired, not 2 months after it.

[reidnet]

My sell by date passed years ago..Bu Im Still here..

[Tinkerbelle]

Hey Kerrie, I know what you mean. I have the same problem with my local tesco. Now I rarely ever go in there, but if I do, I check the date on EVERYTHING!

[Bookworm]

IBut the ready brek was for our baby and I take absolutely no chances with her. It wasn't a sell by date that was on it. It was best before, so it's obviously 'best' eaten before the date has expired, not 2 months after it.

 

Your baby will be eating mud, her own bogeys, and far worse things than slightly out of date porridge very soon, if she isn't yet, lol.

 

Picky husband? Honey, don't tell him, he won't know!

[Guest littlesally]

Sell by date is a legal requiremen to remove on that date. It usually means eat within a day - Best before date is a suggestion, shops do not have to remove product from the shelf as it is perfectly safe to eat.

When complaining, it is better to complain to head office, as they are more concerned about their reputation than people on the shop floor and will probably send you £20 voucher.

I worked in a shop and frankly was not bothered about Best Before Date at all.

[reidnet]

Your baby will be eating mud, her own bogeys, and far worse things than slightly out of date porridge very soon, if she isn't yet, lol.

 

Picky husband? Honey, don't tell him, he won't know!

 

Ahhh you Mean McDonalds Burgers ?...lol:D

[M_A_A_B]

I always check the dates of stuff like meat, milk etc before I buy it....

[Guest littlesally]

I do too, having worked in a shop I know better than not to. Always take from the back!

Milk goes off before it's use by date.

[M_A_A_B]

yeah, I worked in both Sainsburys and Asda so I always take from the back and check dates of things that could be dodgy.....and I dont buy fresh chicken from asda anymore cos I've just had too many bad packs of it!

[furndire]

If I've ever had a problem with anything that has gone off before it should have, I've always rung the stores and complained - usually told to call at customer services the next time I am in store. Never had any problems. Luckily it hasn't happened very often.

[luddite]

If it's a well known brand contact the company the tins, cartons, bottles and bags in most cases have a customer service line. Tell them what the problems is, be nice and don't raise your voice.

 

Have the details that you will find on the product, it's usually around the barcode or on the bottom, and the place you got it from.

 

In most cases they will send you vouchers to buy products from their range. I've done this a few times, and I've always found that they are grateful to you for letting them know.

 

I went into Sainsburys once with some rotten fruit that I had bought the day before. The staff member took it off me, it was still in the original packing. Looked at it and said "You should have looked after it better","That's why it's gone off". I pointed out that it had not been removed from their packaging and it had been kept over night if a fridge. She grunted and walked off saying she would get me a refund.

 

All I can say was she was sadly lacking in people skills.

 

I haven't shopped there very much since. Give me M&S Food Hall any time.

 

If you get food that's off and the company will not listen, Trading Standards and Public Health will, and they have the power to shut them down.

[furndire]

Thats terrible. If I had had that response, it would have been straight to trading standards.

[CromDubh]

Ahhh you Mean McDonalds Burgers ?...lol:D

 

Now that will get you done for child cruelty...

[TheBadTouch]

Although I agree that the food is probably okay to eat after the use by/sell by date, I find it totally psychological in that I won't enjoy my meal/snack if I have seen the expired date....

[Jimbo44]

I frequently find, especially at my local Sainsbugs or Co-Op, that the best time to go in is mid/late-afternoon. With bread and milk especially, it's that day's delivery that's on the shelf and not the "left-overs from the day before" that you find in the mornings.

[benjee]

I had an experience in Asda, whereby the vacuum packed cheese I bought had a sell by date of 2 months ahead. The packaging had a hole in it somewhere causing the cheese to go mouldy. Of course by now I no longer had a reciept but the Customer Service desk in store willingly refunded the money and I got a new one free as well. No relevance but thought i'd share it with you all ;-)

[buzby]

Yep - I have to say my experience iwth ASDA is the same, a problem is usually resolved immediately with an apology, a refund, a £2 gift card for my inconvenience and (occasionally) a replacement pack of the same item without charege. As to Sainsbury't a lot of the customer policy is decided at shop level with managers deciding how to handle a particular problem, but since Asda was usually cheaper, I stopped going there!

[MBMB11]

ha thats a thought! go to a refund and replace supermarket, scan all the aisles for damaged food, buy it, then return it! all your items replaced for free and a refund for them all also!!! lol (this is intended as a joke)

[gyzmo]

My biggest gripe is when shops cover up the use by date (and I once spotted a staff member actually changing one)- criminal! My local Tescos hate it when I come in because I will have a go at them if I come across anything which should not be on sale.

 

The thing to remember about durability markings is that

best before is an indication that the quality may not be as good as it could be, but the product is not necessarily harmful. Products can be sold after the best before date has expired, but an offence may be committed if the food is not of the nature, substance or quality demanded. The exception is eggs which must not be sold within seven days of the best before date (to do so is an offence).

 

Use by dates indicate that the food may pose a health hazard if consumed after the date indicated, and will be found on products such as fresh meat. It is a criminal offence to sell (includes exposing, having or offering for sale) food past its use by date.