Question reference: S3W-04111
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 7 September 2007
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 September 2007
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken, or plans to take, as a result of the BBC's Whistleblower programme on 22 May 2007 which highlighted health and safety concerns relating to supermarkets selling food products beyond their sell-by date.
Answer
I have beenadvised by the Food Standards Agency that the supermarkets concerned in the BBCprogramme were not based in Scotland and therefore were not under the directresponsibility of any Scottish local authority environmental health department.
It is the legal responsibility of food businesses toensure that food is safe and this includes correct use of labelling.
The“Use-by” date is the key date in terms of food safety. “Sell by” and “displayuntil” dates are to help shop staff know when to remove a product from sale.“Best before” dates are focused on quality rather than safety.