Cereal from Tesco - six months out of date!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

ozzyoh wrote: »

You might not have a problem eating stale food, but I do :rolleyes:.

Can't have been too stale if you didn't notice while you consumed half the box. Worry about the important things in life:P

krudler

Xcellor wrote: »

IMO its a bit over the top to make a big song and dance over this, dried goods that are sealed are not going to kill you or make you sick. Refund/Replacement would be offered no question asked.

However Tescos do make a habit at least in my Longford branch of selling rancid fruit with reduced stickers on. I thought I saw a real bargain there the other day, half price strawberries. On closer inspection they were no longer strawberries but boxes of penicilin/mould. If it had of been one box you could say, "Oh it was overlooked... or it just went mouldy..." but there was a couple of shelves of this. They also like to put rotten fruit in plastic bags and try and sell it at reduced prices. I guess they hope the plastic will cover the smell and rotten appearance of whatever lies underneath.

If it isn't fit for human consumption why is it being sold?

I can accept reduced prices on things that are nearly past their sell by date but are still good but these types of "bargains" are just plain wrong.

The staff at the check out don't recognize rotten either... The other day I did a test, I purposefully let a potato which had a large chunk of mould on it and put it on the conveyor. It was weighed and scanned without any mention despite the fact it was fairly obvious it was no longer all potato. I asked for it to be credited but really this should have been spotted.

Longford Tesco you have been named and shamed!!

X

I wish i that much free time:rolleyes:

Charcoal

Are checkout operators supposed to check your food for you, or should you be doing it yourself....... I thought that they just scanned the goods and took your money!!

Its not illegal to sell food past its best before date. Best before is what it implies - the food is at its best before this date. The quality of the item cannot be guaranteed after that date, but it is not unsafe to consume. Food that has a use-by date must be used by that date and is unsafe to consume after that date.

Wow, there are loads of these posts lately!!

Morgans

It always baffles me how quick the troops are willing to line up behind the supermarket (well there may an occasion or two when its not Tesco) in question in these sorts of threads. I hope that those who always check the dates on their purchases dont just put the out-of-date boxes back onto the shelf to be bought by some poor sucker but bring it to the attention of the store.

There are best before dates for a reason, and i think the least we need from the shops are to stock the food correctly. I think its the mimimum level of service that we should expect. And as is clear from the number of these threads, its not just dried food that is the problem. Most supermarkets are only interested in the bottom line and have little care of the quality of their staff training or how close they adhere to standards. There are some exceptions of course.

But again, I dont know why the general feeling is to blame the original poster for complaining about it. The OP went one step more than I did when I bought a pasteria that was 12 months out of date. I applaud you. Keep up the good work.

Clytus

It could have been mis-labeled by the manufactuer...its been known to happen from time to time.

Anyway...just have a think about how many items Tesco have on their shelves at any one time...its in tens of thousands..even in a small store.

Human error most likely...not a big deal.

I was in Superquinn a few weeks back and spotted a range of part baked bread in MAP packaging...was interested in it so took a closer look and noticed that the manufactuer had mis-matched the packaging. So on the front was displayed the name of the product..in this case a "White Batard loaf"...but on the back..with the ingredient listing,allergen advice and nutritional info, was the packaging for a brown batard loaf. Now thats a doozie. Had i brought it to the stores attention the result would have been pretty nasty for the bakery...i.e product recall..charged for that..charged for lost sales..charged for transport to and from..charged for C.D handeling....so I just left it....but i did get pics on my phone...Ill see if i can upload them and blot out the companys name.

Clytus

Right..got those pics and edited out and company names.

Clytus

Clytus wrote: »

It could have been mis-labeled by the manufactuer...its been known to happen from time to time.

Anyway...just have a think about how many items Tesco have on their shelves at any one time...its in tens of thousands..even in a small store.

Human error most likely...not a big deal.

I was in Superquinn a few weeks back and spotted a range of part baked bread in MAP packaging...was interested in it so took a closer look and noticed that the manufactuer had mis-matched the packaging. So on the front was displayed the name of the product..in this case a "White Batard loaf"...but on the back..with the ingredient listing,allergen advice and nutritional info, was the packaging for a brown batard loaf. Now thats a doozie. Had i brought it to the stores attention the result would have been pretty nasty for the bakery...i.e product recall..charged for that..charged for lost sales..charged for transport to and from..charged for C.D handeling....so I just left it....but i did get pics on my phone...Ill see if i can upload them and blot out the companys name.

aw you should have caused a fuss, how much fun would that be, seeing the product recall posters in store and thinking "i did this"

Charcoal

Its the "compensation" aspect of it that bothers me. Its invitation to treat, no-one is forcing you to buy the products, and if you find a problem with them, generally supermarkets will give you your money back and possibly more to make up for it. Yes I do check everything I put in my trolley, but thats just me. I find the "name and shame" aspect unsettling. If I bought an item of clothing and came home and found a tear or a button missing, would I come on a forum asking whether I should get the consumer agency on to them, and possible the health and safety authority due to the slip hazard of an unauthorised button on the ground somewhere, or would I just take it back to the shop......

In any aspect of a business transaction things can go wrong, I don't believe that the supermarkets are out to try to scam you into buying out of date stock. It was the potato comment that got me - Its not in a cashiers job description to point out to a customer who selected an item themselves that the potato is mouldy.

jahalpin

Kelloggs cereal usually has 2 dates on the top of the box, one is the manufacturing date and the other is the best before date

The Tesco in Parnell Street has only been open since June, so it's highly unlikey that the cereal was out of date when you bought it

karlr42

It was simply an oversight on the part of the store, dry grocery will not be checked for dates as thoroughly as deli/dairy/fruit ang veg. Any reasonable store will be happy to give you a refund, and a spot check on the cereal aisle will most likely be made. No big deal, unfortunate, yes, and I understand your distress- you have every right to complain.
As a sales assistant in Dunnes, customers have once or twice brought out-of-date products to my attention- as a show of professionalism, I've always taken them off the shelves there and then.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Morgans wrote: »

I hope that those who always check the dates on their purchases dont just put the out-of-date boxes back onto the shelf to be bought by some poor sucker but bring it to the attention of the store.

Yes I will always bring out-of-date stock to the attention of a shop. They have alweays acted immediately to remove the stock from the shelves.
I have seen many people do likewise!