Asda has been penalized with a fine of £500,000 for retailing expired food at one of its UK supermarket outlets. The Barnsley branch was found selling items that were over two weeks past their expiry dates, including hummus tubs that were 16 days overdue. Furthermore, pizzas and curries were also discovered to be out of date during an investigation conducted by the Barnsley Council Trading Standards team.
Asda admitted to five violations under the Food Safety Act and was directed to pay £507,767 for fines and costs on January 29. The company has since implemented new procedures for checking dates across all its stores.
A spokesperson from Barnsley Trading Standards mentioned that despite improvements made post the offenses, such as the introduction of a new checking system, retraining, and enhanced auditing, the substantial fine of £100,000 per violation conveys a clear message against non-compliance.
Cllr Wendy Cain, the public health spokesperson for Barnsley Council, emphasized their dedication to ensuring community safety, stressing that businesses must only sell safe food. The significant outcome of the case underscores the priority placed on people’s health and safety when businesses fail to adhere to regulations or heed warnings.
In response, an Asda representative expressed disappointment over the incident at the Barnsley store in 2024, acknowledging the failure to meet customer expectations. They assured that a new date code checking process has been implemented in all Asda outlets to guarantee the availability of fresh products for customers.
Following the incident, grocery price inflation eased to 4% in January, the lowest level since April, as reported by market research firm Worldpanel by Numerator. Asda’s sales saw a decline of 3.7% compared to the previous year. Shoppers showed a preference for high-protein and high-fibre products, with notable increases in sales of cottage cheese, fresh fruit, dried pulses, fresh fish, poultry, and chilled yoghurt.
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