Best before?

Starrgrrl

Hi all,
Just wondering about best before dates? I understand that it means what it says i.e. the produce is at its best quality before this date, but not dangerous to consume, but when does that run out?
Basically I bought a bottle of fizzy orange in a local shop, brought it to work and ha a very upset stomach afterward which was really inconvenient!! I later checked the date of the drink and it was dated best before feb 2012.
The only thing I had to eat/drink that evening was the orange so it had to have been that which upset my stomach.
I'm not looking for compensation or anything, just planning to complain to the shop manager on Monday so want my facts in order.
Is 2 months past the best before date too long?

rameire

not necessarily.
it could have been the fact that you drank an acididy drink on an empty stomach.

Starrgrrl

I'm not really quering the fact that it upset my stomach (for any reason) just where do I, as a consumer, stand when a shop is stocking and selling items 2 months past it's best before by date?

CIARAN_BOYLE

Starrgrrl wrote: »

I'm not really quering the fact that it upset my stomach (for any reason) just where do I, as a consumer, stand when a shop is stocking and selling items 2 months past it's best before by date?

http://www.fsai.ie/faq/shelf_life.html
Try looking at the faq at fsai

ejmaztec

I think only the mad scientists would know the answer to how fizz that's 2 months beyond its best before date affects the consumers' insides. It must depend on the ingredients, the plastic and chemistry in general.

I was hunting for Franfurters in the fridge and found some a month out of date, still sealed from when they were bought in Aldi. I decided to risk it, and while there did seem to be a bit of a slightly strange taste to them, they didn't kill me.:D

Starrgrrl

http://www.fsai.ie/faq/shelf_life.html
Try looking at the faq at fsai[/Quote]

Thanks!
I'm just going into the shop on Monday, give the manager back the bottle and tell him that I don't think it's acceptable that he's selling products that are unsuitable for consumption and he needs to improve his stock rotatation or I'll contact the head office.

I actually think that the store provides a fantastic local service for the community but the people who use it the most are local elderly people or people with young families who don't have access to transportation do they need to be vigilant with this kind of thing.

Thanks!

jor el

Starrgrrl wrote: »

The only thing I had to eat/drink that evening was the orange so it had to have been that which upset my stomach.

Are you a doctor? Or did you see a doctor about this? If not, then you can't possibly come to that conclusion.

Starrgrrl wrote: »

I don't think it's acceptable that he's selling products that are unsuitable for consumption

There's nothing unsuitable for consumption about a product that goes beyond it's best before date. It may not taste great, but that's a matter of opinion. There is nothing wrong about selling products that are beyond their best before date either.

You could bring it to the attention of the manager, but don't bring it any further than that. Making threats about contacting their head office, telling the manager how to do his job or run his store, or telling him the product made you ill are not something you can or should do.

ScouseMouse

There is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

A best before date is only a recommendation and has no legal standing.

Its the Use by date that is important.

You'd have to wonder about a shop's quality service/stock taking, if there was an item left there gone 2 months past it's best before date.

Midnight Sundance

I think you would be well within your rights to complain to the manager. As a customer I would fully expect that any food I buy in a shop would be of merchantable quality and anything past it's sell by/ use by date is not!!
Just bring it to his attention any maybe be wary of buying food there in future...
My local shop is notorious for selling home off food and also wiping off the dates with nail varnish remover, needless to say I don't shop there unless I'm in dire straights for a pint of milk!!

Juwwi

I bought a can of 7up last summer that had a best before date of 07/09

when I first drank it it did'nt taste right and taught it must of been chinese or something.
after another mouthfull I taught jasus whats the date.
could'nt belive my eye's 2 years after best before date.

brought it back in at the time and got a refund not even thinking at he time that in the morning I might need a doctor.
guy behind the counter was all shocked and when he checked the fridge there was loads more there.

thankfully I was fine.

next time if itever happens again Im gona lie down and ask for an ambulance to be called

Starrgrrl

Thank god I'm not the only one who thinks selling food past its best before isn't right!
Thought I was the crazy one here for a bit!

After reading the fsa website the whole 'best before' and 'shelf life' thing seems a bit hazy, it's not illegal to sell products past their best before but it's certainly not best practice to sell them without letting the customer know they're buying something that they are not expecting.

I expect to buy something from a shop when it's at it's best and it's their job to provide consumable foods. Since when is it up to the customer to help them do their jobs?

I definately think it was the orange that made me sick on Friday evening. I drank some, 15 mins later had to make an emergency dash to the toilet. Thought, that's a bit weird. Drank so more, made another emergency dash! Only then did I think it must have been the orange, had a look at the bottle and the big 'feb 12' date on it. It doesn't actually say best before or use by on it. Assuming its best before is all

Anyway, still don't think it's good enough for any shop to sell anything past it's sell by date without informing it's customers. This shop is a franchise and I've learned since that it continually sells things past it's sell by, including mouldy bread and stale biscuits. And they need to stop.

Just not good enough in my opinion! (stamps foot and wags a finger)

kingofburt

Going slightly off topic, and I agree that buying out of date produce at full price is irritating, there is a relatively large business in the UK selling out of date produce online. They have a list of approved best before foodstuffs to see what the UK government reckon you can and can't eat - http://www.foodbargains.co.uk/pages/Best_Before_Date.html

dudara

All you can reasonably do is point out to the store manager that it was two months past its "Best Before". Otherwise, there really isn't anything else to be done. (Unless you have documented proof, not just hearsay, of other poor stock management).