Selling out of date items

[AndyPandy]

Timely as M&S et all are scrapping "Best Before" dates.

Is there anything illegal about selling Out of Date items as long as they are marked as such? My local corner shop has an OOD basket and I regularly trawl it for bargains. Caveat emptor and all that.

I have a load of new reuseable hot/cold packs I picked up during lockdown. The manufacturer has slapped an expiry date 3 years from manufacture, which is next month but they look fine and still work as though they were new.

The only issue with OOD items is, I suppose, if it goes wrong, but if they were knowingly purchased as being out of date, would there be any comeback with the vendor? Would the same apply if there were being given away for free (again with the 'it's out of date' caveat) by a Business (I sell and also give them away).

I'm sure if I trawled eBay, Craigslist, Facebook etc I'd find secondhand items past their date being openly sold.

[staffordian]

As I understand it, Best Before dates have no legal status, they were originally set up as a marketing gimmick to emphasise how fresh a particular store's goods might be. Something past its Best Before date might not be quite as good/fresh/tasty or whatever, but will, in all probability be absolutely fine. Having said that, I doubt many would be happy to buy such stuff unless it was discounted, hence the bargain bins etc.

It's Use By dates which MUST be complied with, as they relate to risks to health as might apply to out of date meat, dairy etc.

[didds]

wrt BBE dates... its widely considered in the pub etc trade that SOME brewers have short BBEs on their cans / bottles to promote regular repeat orders from retail outlets. Within certain parameteres in reality all that means is such places just order less each time!

QED sometimes the BBE is for repeat trade purposes and nothing to do with product longevity

[AF62]

I'm sure if I trawled eBay, Craigslist, Facebook etc I'd find secondhand items past their date being openly sold.

There are actually quite a few companies who's business is selling short dated items, and although most sell just before the BBE some sell after it because it isn't illegal - they just need to make the customer aware of the fact.

I regularly use one online retailer who sells genuine Nespresso pods for 1/3 or less of their normal price just because they have a couple of months left before the BBE. And my local town has a wine and beer supplier who specialises in buying up short dated beer and bankrupt restaurant wine - you never know what they are stocking from one week to the next but it is an interesting voyage of discovery.

[Clitheroekid]

I regularly use one online retailer who sells genuine Nespresso pods for 1/3 or less of their normal price just because they have a couple of months left before the BBE.

As a regular user of Nespresso pods who always tuts when I get the bill please share the name of this splendid retailer!

[AF62]

I regularly use one online retailer who sells genuine Nespresso pods for 1/3 or less of their normal price just because they have a couple of months left before the BBE.

As a regular user of Nespresso pods who always tuts when I get the bill please share the name of this splendid retailer!

https://www.yankeebundles.com/ They don’t have any for sale at the moment as they come and go, so you have to just keep an eye open.

[Loup321]

My sister works for a discount shop, and she has told me that they are allowed to sell produce up to 1 month after the best before date. This may just be her company's policy rather than law, though.

[AF62]

I regularly use one online retailer who sells genuine Nespresso pods for 1/3 or less of their normal price just because they have a couple of months left before the BBE.

As a regular user of Nespresso pods who always tuts when I get the bill please share the name of this splendid retailer!

https://www.yankeebundles.com/ They don’t have any for sale at the moment as they come and go, so you have to just keep an eye open.

They have just changed their name and website to https://discountdragon.co.uk/ and currently have various Nespresso pods branded for Starbucks.

BBE is September but then the price is half that or less than Nespresso.