A Watford Nisa convenience store has been fined heavily after it was found selling out of date food despite repeated warnings.
As reported by Hertfordshire Council on Thursday (Aug 28), KG Superstore Ltd, trading as Nisa Local, located in Watford, has been fined £17,000 by St Albans Magistrates’ Court last week.
Following an investigation carried out by Hertfordshire Trading Standards, it emerged that the store was repeatedly selling food past its use by date,
The company’s director, Harmohan Singh Gaba, was also personally fined £1,757.70 for failing to prevent the offences.
Following several complaints from members of the public, Hertfordshire Trading Standards officers carried out an inspection, visiting the premises five times between July 2024 and January 2025, each time finding out-of-date food for sale on the shop floor.
Officers provided comprehensive advice to staff and Gaba, but despite repeated warnings and a final notice of potential enforcement action, standards did not improve.
During the final inspection in January 2025, officers discovered 29 food items, including meat and dairy products marketed to children, that were up to 18 days past their use by date. Two dessert items were also found with expired best before dates and visible mould inside the packaging.
The investigation found that the business did not have a sufficient process for checking the dates on food items and had no records of staff training.
In mitigation, Gaba stated that he had since provided training and taken disciplinary action against some members of staff.
"Despite this retailer having been visited on five separate occasions by our Trading Standards officers and provided with guidance on how to comply, food continued to be sold to the public which was well past its use by date.
“This prosecution and the fine given out sends a clear message that we will act against businesses who fail to comply with food safety legislation, " Councillor Ajanta Hilton, Executive Member for Public Health and Community Safety. said.
The majority of packaged food items must be labelled with either a use by date or a best before date. It is important to understand these dates to keep food safe and help reduce food waste:
- Use by dates relate to food safety. Food should not be consumed after this date.
- Best before dates relate to food quality. While the food may still be safe, its quality may have deteriorated. The retailer assumes responsibility for the safety of food if they decide to sell it beyond this date.