Asda has been fined £250,000 for displaying more than a dozen food items past their use-by date on the shelves of one of its supermarkets.
The case, heard at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court on Wednesday, saw District Judge Jonathan Taaffe find Asda Stores Ltd guilty of 11 offences in relation to its store in Sinfin, in Derby.
It came after a store inspection by Derby City Council trading standards officers in July 2021 that found 18 out-of-date food items on the shelves.
Some of the food was aimed at children and found to be six months past the use-by date, the city council said in a statement following the court case.
The use-by dates, which are crucial for highly perishable food items, ensure that consumers are purchasing and consuming safe products. The Food Standards Agency advises against eating food past its use-by date, even if it appears and smells fine.
Asda Stores Ltd was subsequently fined and ordered to pay costs of £74,117.69 along with a victim surcharge of £190.
District Judge Taaffe said Asda had failed to provide a satisfactory defence and did not demonstrate that they had properly implemented their systems or made necessary improvements following earlier warnings.
Councillor Shiraz Khan, cabinet member for housing and regulatory services, said: “A fine of this scale reflects the seriousness of the situation and the risk it posed to the people of Derby.
“This case serves as a reminder that we are prepared to take whatever action necessary against businesses that break the rules, no matter how big or small.”
Trading standards officer Victoria Rose said customers should be able to rely on stores like Asda when purchasing groceries and know that their food is edible.
She added: “It’s my role to protect the public when this is not the case, especially when some of these foods were aimed at children and found to be on the shelves six months past their use-by date.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “We regret that a small number of out-of-date products were found on sale at Asda Sinfin in July 2021, and that the high safety and quality standards that we set across all stores were not met on this occasion.
“Our top priority for every Asda store is to always have the freshest products available on our shelves.”