Best Before..... 2 Months Ago!
Other
We thought we'd have a nice Saturday Night movie night, so I popped to Tesco for the obligatory snacks.
I overdid it a little on the pick and Mix, so decided to save my Giant Monster Munch for another day. I checked the Best Before date to see how long I had, and was a little bemused to see the date was the 5th of June!
I realise Best Before dates are a guide, and most foods are safe to eat a little after that time, but surely over 2 months is pushing it?
I've emailed Tesco, but I'm not expecting too much in way of a response.
You might as well buy it from places like Approved Food or Clearance XL who sell food close to or after their best before date.
It'll be fine (though obviously shouldn't have been sold ). Get it down quick , could kill you on Tuesday 
.
There is absolutely no reason they shouldn't have been sold, best before dates are little more than an indication to retailers that their stock rotation might need attention.
If you have the receipt I would take the product back next time I was in store and get a refund from customer services. If you choose to buy products out of date at a reduce price that's your decision.If you paid full price of even if it was in an offer it should be in Date !
Wrong on a few things, the store are under no obligation to give a refund. things past their "best by" date can be sold quite legally. Many don't understand the difference between "sell or use by dates" and "best before" dates.
They will be ok to eat but. But they should have not been on the shelf for sale, unless they were marked down as cheep out of date products, I would email customer services at head office, as it looks like the shop in question are not checking the dates on the products
It is quite in order for shops to sell food after the "best before" date, consumers can decide for themselves whether to purchase or not.
Retailers are under no legal obligation to reduce the price although many do.
It is being considered whether it's best to scrap "best before" dates as they cause too much food wastage.
This explains in more detail: https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/page?name=best-before-dates
I would eat that but you never know years ago I got 2 empty cans in a stella box from Tesco emailed stella got Β£4 back and they looked into it they checked cans
Probably just the fact that staff haven't been rotating the stock correctly , don't think Tesco would intentionally sell out of date food whether it's Best Before or Use By. Sure if you took it back they would change it or refund you, never really had an issue with them doing that in the past
Sorry to harp on about this but food that is past its "best before" date. Isn't "out of date" it has been sold quite legally and although many retailers might give a refund or replace (customer relations) they would be quite entitled to tell the customer to "go away!"
davidstockport Quite so I don't disagree it's not illegal , but I don't think Tesco or any of the other large supermarkets intentionally sell or have a policy to sell food past it's best before date as they are conscious of the fact that it's not what their customers want . With regards to refunds Tesco and many others will offer a refund within 30 days for most products regardless of the reason .
Mango4 EXACTLY - that's why they often sell off food approaching its BEST BEFORE date at a discount, which leads many people to think that they have to. They will usually refund if goods are sold after the BEST BEFORE date, which some people incorrectly think means they've got to. It is quite legal to sell goods (still safe to eat) after the BEST BEFORE date, but not after the USE BY date,
Well Tesco got back to me with an apology and a Β£2 gift card to cover the cost.
I still don't think I'm going to eat them though.
As has been mentioned on here, Approved Food sell items beyond their Best Before date, but when you visit that site you know that in advance.
Good retail employees don't seem to use or understand stock rotation these days, but my grandmother drummed it into me when as a child I helped out in her corner shop. This was when you cut the cheese from a huge block with a wire and sold flour, sugar etc from a sack using a scoop to allow the customer whatever they required.
But of course the advent of supermarkets where customers load their own trolleys means most will opt for the longest date even if they take the freshest from the back of the shelf, and who can blame them? If you are single you need food that will last whereas a family use it more quickly.
As for food waste, it is probably the supermarkets themselves that create the most waste as they dispose of out of date stuff and seem loathe to give to staff or the homeless.
I agree, as a Chef, stock rotation is drummed into you at a very early stage.
But I am guilty myself of always going for the milk at the back to gain those extra couple of days of shelf life.
Don't we all - having said that I have just, a few days ago, finished a 4 pint bottle of milk that was dated USE BY 5th September 2020, It had been in freezer and was just as fresh as before frozen - so even USE BY dates can often be ignored.
I'll put another in freezer to replace it. I'll probably (if not needed before) use it in about a year, to rotate stock.
davidstockport I freeze milk quite often, especially so during the major lockdowns. I also freeze butter.
Because I did not read the instructions first I put one of those roast in the bag chickens in the freezer. When I came to use it I noticed 'not suitable for home freezing'. We ate it anyway with no ill effects and I have frozen others since then.
Lynibis I usually have at least one four pint bottle of milk in freezer, it usually takes a few days to unfreeze in fridge. I reckon it actually saves electricity the fuller a freezer is, especially with solid things (and frozen milk is very solid) the less power it uses, also if there's a power outage things in a full freezer will take longer to thaw.
davidstockport I usually decant the 4 pinters into 2 x 2 pint containers so they thaw quicker as I often forgot to take them out of freezer!
They will be ok but shoudnt be sold at full price me I wouldn't eat crisp pass the date but that's just me I have with things frozen
Since 2014 the law has been absolutely clear that food cannot be sold after the use-by date. Tesco says the law needed to be clarified. It was crystal clear but Tesco tried to make it confusing. βTesco are only pleading guilty because they have run out of options.
They CAN be sold at full price - a shop is under no obligation to reduce the price of any food it sells quite legally after the BEST BEFORE date - the OP didn't say it was after the USE BY date. The law is quite clear it's just that many people don't know the difference between USE BY and BEST BEFORE dates.
Crisps will perhaps have a USE BY date*, and if Walker's crisps that date will always be on a Saturday.
*Not certain of that - they usually have a shelf life of about 12 weeks, but don't keep "safe enough" to eat indefinitely.
davidstockport didn't say it was there obligation did I in my opinion they shouldn't have been sold full price that why they have the yellow stickers in the first place people are not stupid they do know what's the best before is and they will judge it themselves to eat it or not
Leannexxx It is "your opinion" you didn't say that. But I'm very sorry to tell you but "your opinion" doesn't make the law any different.
Most shops will sell off food that is approaching its USE BY date - and also BEST BEFORE date at a discount. They can NOT however sell after the USE BY date, but can sell the BEST BEFORE date (if it's still safe to eat) after the date and are under no obligation to reduce the price.
davidstockport well didn't know I had to say my opinion anyway I don't care i posted my thoughts on a topic dont need you trying to prove me wrong I know what they can and can't do I can google things myself thanks
Leannexxx I don't need to try and prove you wrong, you seem to be doing a good enough job without my help.
davidstockport **** oh I forgot you know everything with your news link I can do that to but I know I give my own opinion ok? Dont comment at me again
Leannexxx I posted a link to confirm what I already knew was correct, rather than argue please will you post a link to confirm what you said (at the very start of this exchange) "They will be ok but shoudnt be sold at full price" - if you can find anything that confirms that they SHOULD NOT be sold at full price, I feel sure that it will be of interest to all.
davidstockport I worked in Morrison so going of my own experience that we could not sell this that was out of date things close to the day yea but NOT out of date its the law
It is illegal for businesses to sell food at any time after its use by date, or to alter the date without the manufacturers permission. ... If you buy food past its use by date you can either return the item to the premises
Leannexxx But Tesco were selling food beyond its USE BY date - not its BEST BEFORE date.
Leannexxx You might find that you are telling me things I've already said, I don't understand the last part, perhaps you accidentally posted before saying what the alternative to returning the item to store was. (it might have been report the matter to: https://www.food.gov.uk/contact/consumers/report-problem
davidstockport that's what's the topic is about best before 2 months ago not near best before so yeah she should have taken them back and some shops still sell things out of date but not at full price
Leannexxx Although people will not usually buy things that are past the BEST BEFORE date (without a discount). If they do, they have no statutory right to a refund, and unless the food is not fit for consumption the store has not broken any law.
Compensation or refund is entirely at the retailer's discretion, most will usually refund or replace out of goodwill, but there'll be little goodwill shown to the employee/s responsible - they usually get a kick up the a***.
davidstockport I dont care im done with this conversation I commented on the topic with my own opinions and that's it
Leannexxx I remember popping into a Morrison's a few weeks after Christmas, they had a pallet full of Mr Kipling Mince Pies reduced to 5p a box.
The Use by/ best before date was that same day, but we bought a few boxes and lobbed them in the freezer.
blacklabrador If it was the use by date then they couldn't legally be sold after that date, but if it was the best before date then (although stores don't often do so) it would have been OK to sell them until they became unsafe to eat.
I've often bought reduced price mince pies after Christmas, I can't recall if they were use by or best before dates, I assumed that as Christmas had passed they weren't as saleable, except to those of us who wanted to save them for Easter,
I assume that many retailers are very reluctant to sell anything beyond the best before date, because so many people don't know the difference between use by and best before dates.
For anyone who is still confused"Food producers and manufacturers have a legal obligation to include either a best before or use-by date on their food. Supermarkets and retailers can legally sell produce that has passed its best before date, but cannot sell food that has passed its use by date since use by is related to safety rather than quality".
From https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/page?name=best-before-dates
davidstockport I agree, I cannot for the life of me remember whether the mince pies were use by or best before, but the freezer put paid to the issue anyway.
Definitely complain. I brought crusha milkshake liquid a year out of date the store said itβs stock rotation which is clearly crap. Phoned customer devices got Β£5
This is from a local government website:
Foods marked with best-before or best-before-end dates may be sold after their marked dates, provided that they remain of good quality and are fit for human consumption. In these circumstances it is advisable to ensure that customers know that the date has expired before they make the decision to buy. The manufacturer is responsible for the quality of the product until the stated best-before / best-before-end date; if the retailer chooses to amend the date, or sell the product after the stated date, they must then take responsibility for the quality of the product.
So, it is advised that customers are made aware the food is past its Best By date and sellers must also accept responsibility for the quality.
I guess that's where sites like Approved Food do well, customers know full well the items are close to - or past - their best before dates.
I myself have purchased coffee pods from them that were a month past their best before date.
blacklabrador As the food producers and manufacturers are compelled by law to put either a sell by or best before date on the goods they supply to retailers, there is no reason for people to not know "full well" whether the product is close to or past its best before date.
Incidentally I've got several sachets of Heinz 57 Tartare sauce, that are a few years past the "best before" date - they taste OK to me
blacklabrador Surprisingly some "best before" date things can taste better. I don't drink very much but when there are special offers on beers I stock up, and by the time some gets used it is past the "best before" date and in my opinion most beer that has "aged" (within reason) tastes better.
Back just over 20 years ago Kwik Save's stock rotation was terrible so they often had beer that had just passed its "best before" date they sold it to me at a fraction of the normal price, their policy was not to offer it for sale, but they didn't offer it to me - I offered to buy it, I never had a bad bottle - but had plenty of friends
You are entitled to a full refund as it was sold to you without you been made aware itβs out of date. Iβve got refunds from Tesco before because of this reason. Probably will be safe to eat but depends on how itβs stored and may not taste as nice. Crisps can go a bit soft if after best before.
The added problem is that they were the pickled onion flavour, so if they start repeating on me it'll be all the more unpleasant.
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