Stop & Shop fined ,000 for selling meat with incorrect expiration dates at stores in New Jersey.
Grocery retail giant Stop & Shop has been penalized with a fine of ,000 after regulatory authorities discovered that the company was selling meat products with incorrect expiration dates across five stores in Ocean County, New Jersey. This action follows a thorough investigation initiated by the county’s Department of Consumer Affairs in response to customer complaints about purchasing expired meat at a location in Toms River.
The investigation revealed that Stop & Shop was systematically mislabeling and mishandling beef and poultry products. County officials stated that some of the meat displayed in stores was marked with dates indicating when the products were placed for display instead of the actual packaging dates. This practice misleadingly created an impression of freshness, extending well beyond the true delivery dates. In addition, certain items were stamped with expiration ranges that exceeded recommendations provided by wholesalers, raising significant consumer health concerns.
Further insights from the investigation indicated a shift in Stop & Shop’s meat handling practices. The company had moved away from employing in-store butchers, opting instead to rely predominantly on pre-packaged products sourced from off-site wholesalers. For instance, an investigation uncovered that a wholesale box received in February remained unopened until March, despite being labeled as freshly packaged on the day it was displayed.
Similar discrepancies regarding expiration dates were identified at additional Stop & Shop locations in Toms River, as well as in Brick, Point Pleasant, and Manchester. In an effort to rectify these issues, alongside the financial penalty, the grocery chain has committed to implementing more rigorous safeguards to ensure accurate labeling practices across all 46 of its New Jersey stores.
Ronald Heinzman, director of Consumer Affairs, emphasized the significance of the situation, describing the mislabeling as a serious breach of consumer trust and confidence. The department took a firm stance, categorizing the improper handling of meat products as an immediate public safety issue. The investigation received support from the Ocean County Health Department, underlining the collaboration between various agencies in safeguarding consumer health.
In response to the allegations, Stop & Shop remarked that it had conducted its own investigation upon learning of the complaints and took prompt corrective measures to address the findings.
