Ignoring shelf life indicators on labels risky

WITH supermarket costs rising, customers are advised to double-check the expiry date of items they buy at stores, as poor stock rotation by merchants has become increasingly common.

This comes after the Consumer Goods & Services Ombud (CGSO) revealed that among 10 types of complaints it received, 267 customers had complained about several issues with goods which became defective within six months of purchase this year.

Food consultant Nigel Sunley said that outdated goods were largely caused by poor stock rotation by retailers, and that the challenge lay in differentiating between three categories of foods.

“The first category is foods that are still safe to consume after their expiry date, but may not be of the quality they were before the expiry date, e.g. taste or appearance is not as good. These could be sold provided the purchaser is fully aware that they are past their expiry dates, which are normally stated as ‘Best before’ on the label. They will typically be non-perishable foods (e.g. dry products) that do not require refrigeration or other special storage conditions, but may lose flavour and/or taste stale after the expiry date.

“The second category is foods that are definitely unsafe once their expiry date has been passed. These are typically perishable foods that normally require refrigeration, and will potentially have unacceptable levels of micro organisms if consumed after their expiry dates. These are normally stated as ‘Use by DDMMYYYY’ on the label. However, they sometimes also use the ‘Best before’ statement. This can be very confusing and would be potentially dangerous if they were sold after their expiry date. For the third category, a number of retailers are starting to remove expiry dates from prepacked, fresh produce as these often result in significant food waste when the expiry date has been exceeded and the product is unnecessarily regarded as unsuitable for consumption. In most cases, the consumer should be able to judge for themselves if the product is acceptable,” said Sunley.

CGSO media liaison officer Ouma Ramaru said with complaints about expired goods, consumers alleged that those goods affected their health. Of the closed cases, they were either resolved with a full refund, partially upheld, or not upheld. “We can only suggest that consumers check the dates on goods before buying/consuming them. If they do accidentally buy expired goods, those should be returned to the supplier for a full refund. If consumers pick up trends where certain convenience stores are regularly selling expired goods, this should be reported to the NCC (National Consumer Commission) for investigation,” said Ramaru.

Sunley said it is not illegal to sell products after their expiry dates, but it is illegal to alter the stated expiry dates on a label. “Various outlets sell foods that have passed their expiry dates, but it is clearly stated as such. It should not be general practice in the retail trade. We need to find the balance between ensuring safe food and reducing food waste.”