Stop & Shop fined for selling spoiled meat with wrong expiration dates in NJ
A Stop & Shop grocery store in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Stop & Shop said Friday it will close 32 underperforming grocery stores in the Northeast US by the end of the year. Photographer: Yuki Iw
TOMS RIVER, N.J. - A major supermarket chain in the Northeast is facing backlash after officials say spoiled meat products were found mislabeled in several New Jersey stores.
What we know:
The Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs launched an investigation into Stop & Shop after receiving reports of spoiled meat and poultry being sold at this Toms River store.
Investigators found mislabeled product dates and spoiled products waiting to be put out on the shelves. Those mislabeling practices were then found at all five Ocean County Stop & Shop locations.
A Stop & Shop grocery store in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Stop & Shop said Friday it will close 32 underperforming grocery stores in the Northeast US by the end of the year. Photographer: Yuki Iw
"Products were marked with dates indicating when they were put out for display rather than when they were actually packaged, creating the appearance of freshness well beyond the actual delivery dates. In some cases, beef and poultry products were stamped with extended expiration ranges that exceeded the recommendations of wholesalers," Consumer Affairs said in a press release.
Officials say one wholesale box delivered in February was not opened until March, but was labeled to portray it was freshly packaged that day.
What's next:
Stop & Shop agreed to pay $75,000 in fines and penalties as part of a Consent Agreement with the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The chain also consented to implement sticker safeguards to ensure accurate product labeling across all of its 46 New Jersey stores.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs.