Out of date Meat products ?

[fordy]

...............Went by my regular grocery and was perusing the Hot Dogs , one whole row was dated 05-15-2010 ! It was the same way two weeks previous , I've contemplated telling the meat market mgr . but he Knows , obviously , and I don't want too upset anyone ! I'm still considering whether too tell the asst. mgr . , fordy

[Home Harvest]

Hot dogs have an expiration date??? I really thought they'd outlast the cockroaches. lol

Sounds strange to me. My daughter works for CVS, and they are required to remove all food products a full week before they expire. We get lots of good food that way. I can eat a lot in a week.

[NickieL]

I would tell someone. What if someone who isn't looking for the dates buys it and gets sick???

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by Home Harvest

Hot dogs have an expiration date??? I really thought they'd outlast the cockroaches. lol

Sounds strange to me. My daughter works for CVS, and they are required to remove all food products a full week before they expire.

they really are not "expiration" dates. They are"sell by", or "best if used by" dates.

Fordy, were they marked down or in the freezer section?

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by NickieL

I would tell someone. What if someone who isn't looking for the dates buys it and gets sick???

With preserved foods like hot dogs it is more of a freshness issue.

[Harry Chickpea]

Actually, if it was a continuing problem I would contact the state agricultural department and demand an inspection of the place. Food safety is especially important in grocery stores because the food may be being purchased for someone with a comprised or weak immune system. Getting a funky hot dog at a baseball game and tossing cookies for a few days usually won't kill a healthy person, but the same isn't true of 90 year old aunt Maude, or young Jimmy, who is just getting over another illness and plans to get out of bed tomorrow.

And fordy? I would not buy anything at that store that I couldn't personally verify was fresh and sealed. Stuff like that is usually an indicator of a far bigger problem.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I would absolutely tell someone in the store.

[gone-a-milkin]

Oh my goodness. Just politely point it out to the meat manager.
Could be that someone 'forgot' to rotate them. usually it is a younger
(or less experienced) person who stocks the prepackaged stuff out,
perhaps they are taking shortcuts. The manager should be made aware.

[tinknal]

The store is doing nothing illegal.



"Perhaps the most surprising thing about expiration dating is that dating is not required by US federal law for any foods except infant formula and baby foods. Not only are expiration dates mandatory for these products, but these products must actually withdrawn by their expiration date. When it comes to dairy products, laws vary by state, but when it comes to all other foods everywhere, slapping an expiration date on the product is decided by only one entity: the manufacturer of that product.

As if that weren't bad enough add to it this unnerving information. Well, unnerving unless you're one of those types who think the government is already regulating big business too much. Even if the manufacturer is kind enough to let you know when his product will send you to the bathroom to sell Buuuuuicks or, worse, to the hospital, stores are not legally required to remove expired products from shelves."

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...es.html?cat=22

[Ravenlost]

I would definitely bring it to the attention of the store manager!

[highlands]

Is it fresh or frozen? Properly frozen keeps forever - witness the mammoth meat burgers and steaks. Even the USDA recognizes this.

If it is fresh then does it have preservatives in it or not? With enough preservatives it is dead and lasts a long time. On the other hand, fresh but without preservatives does not last more than a few weeks.

The dates are often not about expiration at all. I've found a hunk of fresh frozen meat in the bottom of my freezer that was four years old. Delicious.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by tinknal

they really are not "expiration" dates. They are"sell by", or "best if used by" dates.

Fordy, were they marked down or in the freezer section?

...........No mark down and all these prepackaged meat products are , Not frozen !
..........The more I reflect on this situation , the more I realize that the Store Mgr. has too obviously know about this situation . Store mgrs. are very detail oriented and have intimate knowledge of every thing that happens within their store and how it impacts their income statement as well as their job performance reviews which dictates their salay and bonuses computed on store net income relative too other stores in the same city . , fordy

[texican]

I'd tell my butcher in a heartbeat... He'd go out, removing the offending items, put them in the box of expired meats I bring home for the dogs and chickens! The butchers at the store I shop are employees, not owners, and they toss everything the day of 'best used by' date. I missed a day last week, and one of the butchers was assigned the duty of hauling out over 300 lbs of whole pork quarters (hind leg mostly) because the 'use by' date on the boxes said they were 'expired' (frozen meat, never thawed!)... they held them till 5 pm (usually in by 5), then they dumpstered em.... arrgghhh!!! My hounds would have feasted for a week or two!

It's rare that you'll find outdated meat there. Some places might just get busy, or have high school students (who sometimes don't have the best attention spans) restocking, and not paying attention.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by texican

I missed a day last week, and one of the butchers was assigned the duty of hauling out over 300 lbs of whole pork quarters (hind leg mostly) because the 'use by' date on the boxes said they were 'expired' (frozen meat, never thawed!)... they held them till 5 pm (usually in by 5), then they dumpstered em.... arrgghhh!!! My hounds would have feasted for a week or two!

To heck with the dogs, I would have feasted for a month or so!

[anniew]

No one is perfect...choose the packages that are still in date...

[upnorthlady]

What's it going to hurt to tell the manager? He can't do anything to you. Play dumb if you have to - ask him about the exp date and tell him you were just wondering if it was still ok to eat. Won't cost you anything and who knows - he might not realize that they are out of date. The only way to know things is to speak up!!

[Patt]

We have a small local grocery store here and I find stuff that is out of date all the time. I take it up front and let them know. I don't think they do it purposely it's just a small store and they don't have a system for making sure they pull stuff and restock it like they should. They just overhauled the whole store in the last couple of weeks and the cashiers were giving away stuff and joking about how old some of it was. Some of it was dated last year....

[tinknal]

For the most parts the dates are a fraud foisted upon us by the food manufacturers.