Delis selling old food long after expiry dates

A Daily Dispatch undercover investigation over the past week identified several delis located around the city guilty of the practice.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from readers who claimed they had fallen victim to deli owners enriching themselves by selling expired items.

Food manufactures warned shoppers that consuming expired items such as fish and chicken could lead to death if the person eating the goods was vulnerable to diseases because of a weak immune system.

They slammed deli owners who sold food passed their expiry dates, saying the practice was dangerous to people's health.

One company's customer service official said expired items were particularly dangerous to people living with HIV/Aids or other chronic illnesses.

On Saturday the Dispatch confronted managers at Norman's Deli in Quigney, Sanans Supermarket and Andy's Corner, both situated in Oxford Street near Southernwood, as well as D&B Mini Market, also in Quigney.

When asked why expired goods were on sale many blamed wholesalers, saying that they could have bought already expired items, or they blamed their employees, saying they had failed to spot expired items during stock rotations.

At Norman's Deli the Dispatch investigation found a Royco Quick Snack (expired more than four years ago on November11, 2005), Werda beetroot (expired on October30, 2009) and Parmalat Fruit Yoghurt (expired on November26, 2009) on the shelves.

When confronted on Friday, Norman's Deli manager Navin Nathoo said he hadn't noticed he was selling expired items.

“It must be that some of them were not spotted when stock was rotated,” he explained.

Nathoo agreed that the items posed a danger to customers. “We'll take (them) away.”

At Sanans Supermarket, an expired Robertsons Strawberry Essence (which expired in November 2007), Moir's Flavoured Cherry Jelly (expired in June 2008) and Nola Magnifique Mayonnaise (expired on November 7, 2009) were found.

Sanans assistant manager Kay Govan said she, too, was unaware there were expired items on their shelves.

“I'm all by myself and I don't get a chance to check,” she said.

“It's not that we want to sell expired items.”

Govan said sometimes, when in a hurry, she bought goods which had already expired from wholesalers.

At Andy's Corner, Amazing Orange Juice (expired on November 4, 2009) and Beacon Pink and White Peanuts (expired in August, 2009) were being sold.

Andy's Corner acting manager Tony Veaudry said he had been in charge of the shop for only two months.

“This shop was badly run … it's not a general practice selling expired stuff … ”

Veaudry said he would replace the expired items with fresh stock.

At D&B Mini Market, Clover Danone NutriDay yoghurt (expired on November 30, 2009) was found in the fridge.

Shop manager Roanne van Rensburg said one of their workers could have missed spotting it.

What you need to know

The Daily Dispatch spoke to food manufactures who said that shops should not keep food on their shelves after the expiry date because it could be a health hazard.

Parmalat's Nuraan Moos said expired food should be removed from shelves a day before the expiry date or on the actual date.

“There can be side effects because the ingredients are not in their best condition,” Moos said.

Muade Madikane from Clover said expired food could affect different people differently.

“It depends on a person's system - the effects may differ from one person to the next.”

Robertsons' Lanice Derosnay also warned that there could be side-effects, and said manufacturers could not guarantee their products after the best-before date.

Marcus Bessick of Liqui Fruit said the company did not guarantee their food after the sell-by date and that consumers were encouraged to check items before buying.

He said some smaller shops did not buy from distributors so by the time the food hit the shelves, it could already be expired.

“Shops are not allowed to sell past the best-before date.”

Source: Daily Dispatch

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