×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

Actually‚ it's perfectly legal to sell most food after it has 'expired'

Image: STOCK IMAGE

Last week‚ while police and health inspectors were confiscating “expired” cooldrinks‚ maize meal‚ mayonnaise and other foods from foreign-owned shops in Soweto‚ and people were losing their lives in violent protests about “dangerous” food‚ a chain of grocery stores in Cape Town was doing a roaring trade in “expired” foods.

Foodies is the world’s only chain of stores specialising in selling food almost at‚ or shortly past its best-before dates.

It turns out that it’s only illegal to sell or donate perishable foods – mostly food that is refrigerated‚ including meat and dairy – beyond its use-by dates‚ because that does carry a health risk. But “shelf-stable” food products marked with best-before dates do not become “rotten”‚ “spoilt” or “toxic” after their best-before dates.

-For more on this story‚ please visit Times Select. 

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.