Asda Stores Ltd appeared before Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court yesterday (8 May 2025) and pleaded guilty to six charges of breaching the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 by placing unsafe food on the market.
The case follows inspections of the Asda Superstore on Huyton Lane, Huyton on 14 February 2024 and 20 March 2024 by Knowsley Council’s Environmental Health Team. During these inspections, officers found a number of items of food on sale after the use by date had expired.
Use by dates are applied to highly perishable foods that could become unsafe to eat if kept for too long. Harmful bacteria can grow to dangerous levels in food without the food spoiling or looking off. These bacteria have the potential to cause serious illness, particularly in vulnerable and elderly people. The use by date is the date until which the manufacturer can guarantee that the food is safe to eat. Food is legally to be considered to be unfit if kept after the use by date has expired.
The proceedings were adjourned until 25 September 2025.