Supermarket giant Asda has been slapped with a hefty £250,000 fine for selling out-of-date food items, a court has ruled.
The ruling came after a July 2021 inspection by Derby City Council trading standards officers uncovered 18 expired products on the shelves at its Sinfin store in Derby.
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court found Asda Stores Ltd guilty of 11 offences related to the incident.
Some of the expired items were targeted at children and had been on display for up to six months past their use-by dates.
Asda store fined £250,000 after food SIX-MONTHS out of date found on shelvesGETTY Use-by dates are crucial for highly perishable foods, ensuring consumer safety with the Food Standards Agency advising against consuming products past these dates, even if they appear fine.
Trading standards officer Victoria Rose emphasised the importance of customer trust.
She said: "Customers should be able to rely on stores like Asda when purchasing groceries and know that their food is edible."
District Judge Jonathan Taaffe found the company guilty of 11 offences and imposed a £250,000 fine.
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Asda was also ordered to pay £74,117.69 in costs and a £190 victim surcharge.
The judge criticised Asda's failure to provide a satisfactory defence, noting that the company had not demonstrated proper implementation of 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."
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Khan added: "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."
Asda acknowledged the incident, with a spokesperson stating: "We regret that a small number of out-of-date products were found on sale at Asda Sinfin in July 2021, and that the high safety and quality standards that we set across all stores were not met on this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."
The supermarket chain emphasised that their "top priority for every Asda store is to always have the freshest products available on our shelves".
