Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Welsh village shop owner fined for selling food past its use-by date

Village shop owner fined for Selling Expired Food

Village shop owner fined

iStock image

A local village shop owner in Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales has been fined for putting "customers at risk" by selling food past its use by date.

According to local reports, the owner of P&R Convenience Store, trading as Family Shopper in Gilfach Goch, has been prosecuted after his store was found selling fourteen food items that were past their use-by date.


The offence was discovered following a complaint from a member of the public to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's trading standards department, leading to a visit in order to check compliance.

Some of the food products found to be past their use-by date by the officer at the Family Shopper Gilfach Goch included smoked ham, meatballs and pasties, all of which were between two and three days past their use-by date.

The items that were found past its use-by date included smoked ham, Peter’s classic steak slice, basil pesto and mozzarella pasta and hot and spicy meatballs.

The owner of the village shop has pleaded guilty to all charges and apologised on behalf of the business for the incident, stating that he has since put measures in place to ensure that it does not happen again.

He was also ordered to pay a total of over £1,700, consisting of a £500 fine, £1,028 in costs and a £200 victim surcharge.

Councillor Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities, said, "If a shop sells food in our County Borough, they have a responsibility to ensure the goods they sell are safe for customers to consume.

"Use-by dates are applied to highly-perishable food items by the manufacturer and are crucial to ensuring customers are buying and consuming safe items.

"It is unacceptable that a consumer needs to check a product at the point of purchase to ensure that they don’t fall ill, because a business doesn’t have the legally required food hygiene practices in place.

"Precautions to prevent these offences would have been simple, involving the daily checking and removal of foods past their date.

"The dedicated Trading Standards department offers plenty of advice and help to food businesses on a regular basis and most, thankfully, conduct business in a safe manner, which does not put consumers at risk.

"I am confident this latest action sends out a message to businesses across the County Borough to have proper measures in place to ensure they comply with food safety regulations, or they will face the consequences."

Under the General Food Regulations 2004, it is an offence to contravene or fail to comply with specified EU provisions, including the Assimilated EC Regulation 178/2002 which lays down rules relating to the requirements of food law, food safety, presentation – or labelling, traceability and withdrawal, recall and notification.

The Regulations provides that food "shall not be placed on the market if it is unsafe."

Read more.

More for you

Mr Kipling Simnel Slices pack on UK shelf, Easter 2025 launch

Mr Kipling is launching new limited-edition Simnel Slices

Easter treat: Mr Kipling's simnel slices

Leading cake brand Mr Kipling has announced the launch of a new limited-edition Simnel Slices just in time for Easter.

Expanding the season beyond classic chocolate treats, Mr Kipling is bringing a fruity Easter flavour onto shelves, expanding retailers’ seasonal cake ranges this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Murray promoted as pladis CMO, Mete Buyurgan takes UK & Ireland helm

Mete Buyurgan (L) and David Murray

David Murray named pladis CMO

Snacking giant pladis has announced David Murray, currently leader of its UK and Ireland enterprise, will transition to the newly created position of global chief commercial officer.

After five years at the helm of pladis UK&I, Murray’s new role will see him take ownership of the company’s global platform and brand strategy along with its commercial transformation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Illegal cigarettes in Meir

Illegal cigarettes

iStock

Thousands of illegal cigarettes seized from Meir shop raids

More than £20,000 worth of illicit tobacco and vapes were seized from multiple premises in an one-day operation in Meir by Trading Standards team along with officers from Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Police.

The operation is the latest across the city that resulted in 13 shops being closed in the last 12 months, and forms part of Operation Cece, which is a National Trading Standards initiative in Partnership with HMRC to tackle illegal tobacco.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Don Julio Tequila

Don Julio Tequila, owned by Diageo. The spirits giant sells billions of dollars worth of tequila and Canadian whisky in the US.

Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Flipper's Boogie Palace

Diageo suggests tougher rules of origin requirements as alternative to Trump’s tariffs

Spirits giant Diageo has suggested the US government consider tougher rules of origin requirements in trade agreements as an alternative to tariffs, a letter to the US Trade Representative showed.

In the March 11 letter, Diageo, the world's top spirits maker caught in the crossfire of US president Donald Trump's effort to remake global trade, argued that new rules of origin could support his aims and benefit the industry.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asda store with Rollback pricing sign for 2024 sales strategy

Asda Express stores offset sales dip at the supermarket

Asda's profits climb despite sales decline, driven by George and Express

Asda on Friday reported a decline in its annual sales for the 2024 financial year, but the retailer has seen profits rising on margin gains.

The supermarket chain said its total revenue for the year to 31 December 2024 declined by 0.8 per cent to £21.7 billion, while like-for-like sales (excluding fuel) were lower by 3.4 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less