25% of all sandwiches on sale in Wirral "are past sell-by date"

Nov 26 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

MORE than a quarter of sandwiches and ready-to-eat foods sold in corner shops in Wirral were found to be past their sell-by dates, according to Trading Standards inspections.

The spot checks by council officers discovered 27% of the pre-prepared foods, including sandwiches, were out of date.

They also found examples where the sell-by date was obscured by the price label.

The head of Wirral’s Trading Standards department, John Malone, said they had been looking at corner shops.

And he said most cases were the result of “ignorance rather than willfulness” on the part of the shopkeepers.

It is an offence to sell food which is out of date, and Mr Malone said: “Realistically, if it’s uncooked meat for example and maybe just a day out of date, but cooked properly, it is unlikely to do any harm.

“But sandwiches contain pre-cooked products and could lead to potential problems.”

He said food poisoning was a possible consequence of eating the out of date convenience food.

Mr Malone’s department had carried out their survey at shops across the borough, checking food for sale in 49 convenience stores and corner shops.

In 14 of those, food past its use by or best before dates was found, and the traders were given formal warnings by Trading Standards officers.

Mr Malone said: “The shops often rely on their suppliers collecting the food by the sell-by date – but legally it’s their responsibility and the shopkeepers are the ones who are liable.

“It’s quite useful to draw people’s attention to this. It is critical people check the date when buying.

“It’s critical that people check the sell-by or best before date. Usually they are in a rush and it’s easy to forget.”

Letters are now being sent out to traders across Wirral warning them to ensure all food is within appropriate dates and marked clearly with their prices ahead of future checks.

liammurphy