Trading Standards 'Out of Date' Food Inspection Results in Conviction

The inspection followed a complaint made to Southampton City Council by a member of the public

The company running a local convenience store has been convicted of selling out of date food products following an inspection carried out by a Trading Standards Officer from Southampton City Council.

SP Foods Mart Ltd, a grocery shop which trades as Ram’s Store, 65 Derby Road was convicted at Southampton Magistrates' Court on 23 July 2021 after the company’s Director, Rajesh Mishra, pleaded guilty to the sale of unsafe food, contrary to regulation 19 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. The company was fined £700 and ordered to pay £750 costs.

The inspection followed a complaint to Southampton City Council made by a member of the public that the business was selling food past its use by date. A visit to the store by an officer from the council’s Trading Standards Service uncovered 18 items of food past their use by date, including a meat product over a month past its date.

Food that is past its 'use by' date, as opposed to 'best before', is deemed unsafe in law and it is illegal for those items to be sold, anyone doing so is committing a criminal act. The foods that were out of date at Ram's Store were mainly meat products. Mr Mishra had previously been cautioned by Trading Standards about the sale of food past its use by date and was advised at that time regarding taking precautions around conducting daily checks on food that he was selling.

The Officer involved in the inspection quickly found out of date foods displayed for sale, resulting in the company’s prosecution. It emerged that staff members hadn’t been trained and daily records of checks had still not been undertaken.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Steven Galton, said: "The work carried out by both our Trading Standards and Legal teams is helping to safeguard members of the community from any retailer who is not taking their responsibilities seriously enough when it comes to the safe sale of food items.

"Hopefully this prosecution will send a clear message to any organisation selling food that the wellbeing of the public must be at the heart of what they do. High standards need to be maintained and the law abided by.

"I hope this acts as an incentive to Mr Mishra to improve his standards and sell food which is safe to his customers.”