Asda stores in Huyton has been fined by the local council for selling unsafe food.
Knowsley Council last week reported that it has successfully prosecuted local Asda Stores Ltd for selling unsafe food.
The case follows inspections of the Asda Superstore on Huyton Lane, Huyton on 14 February 2024 and 20 March 2024 by Knowsley Council’s Environmental Health Team. During these inspections, officers found 59 items of food on sale after the use by date had expired.
Asda Stores Ltd appeared before Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court today (25 September 2025) and pleaded guilty to six charges of breaching the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 by placing unsafe food on the market. The company was fined £130,000 and ordered to pay £11,000 in costs to the Council.
The Court heard how officers had previously discovered food with an expired use by date on sale and had warned the company that they needed to improve the checking of use by dates in the store.
Despite these warnings, officers found 59 items of food on sale after the use by date had expired when they returned to the store, including 26 packets of ham, 10 packets of Cheesecake, 8 cartons of Crème Fraiche, 4 packets of smoky BBQ tasty bites, 4 packets of deliciously vegan no chorizo slices, 2 packets of smoked salmon, 2 chicken and bacon bakes, 1 toffee sundae, 1 packet of corned beef and 1 packet of ‘Nduja & Regato Cheese Pinwheels.
The packet of pinwheels found to be on sale 18 days after the use by date had expired.
A Council investigation found that the company hadn’t put in place adequate steps to remove foods from sale before the expiry of the use by date.
Use by dates are applied to highly perishable foods that could become unsafe to eat if kept for too long. Harmful bacteria can grow to dangerous levels in food without the food spoiling or looking off, stated the council.
These bacteria have the potential to cause serious illness, particularly in vulnerable and elderly people. The use by date is the date until which the manufacturer can guarantee that the food is safe to eat. Food is legally to be considered to be unfit if kept after the use by date has expired.
The prosecution brought by Knowsley Council follows Asda receiving heavy fines following recent similar prosecutions brought by Derby City Council and Cornwall Council for selling food that had expired use by dates.
Cllr Shelley Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: “It’s really important that retailers adhere to the law and ensure that consumers aren’t put at any risk due to items being available to buy when the use by date has already expired.
“We will continue to routinely check food businesses to ensure there are no food breaches and take robust action against anyone who is not complying with the law.”