Bought Expired Baby Food at IGA and Caused Severe Diarrhea What to Do?

Lpeterw777 on 03/11/2024 - 15:14
Last edited 03/11/2024 - 15:39 by 1 other user

Hi everyone, we bought baby food from IGA yesterday and fed our baby.

However, after consuming the food, our baby started to have diarrhea. We thereafter found the Best Before date of the baby food is June 2024. Just now we went to the IGA and filmed. And found they are even selling baby food which has Best Before date back to 2023.

We are so angry but seems like selling food after Best Before date is not illegal after searching on Google. We are so confused about this law and not sure what to do next.

Any advice would be helpful. Thank you so much!

Food & Grocery Baby Food

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IGA
IGA

Comments

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 03/11/2024 - 15:20

    Had a similar experience with purchasing a product that turned out to be out of date at IGA. It was Darrell Lea Rocklea Road and was out of date from 2023 as well.

    • peterw777 on 03/11/2024 - 15:27

      Is it really legal to sell food after 1 year of the best before date? I’m surprised

      • Waffles on 04/11/2024 - 09:14
        +1

        It's possible that slow moving stock goes out of date without them realising. Id assume that over some evil scheme.

  • zonra on 03/11/2024 - 15:21
    +6

    You can let management know about the fact so that they can pull old stock off the shelf to prevent other families from going through what you went through.
    You can also file a complaint to the relevant governing body in your state if you want the store to face some consequences.
    But I'm guessing you also want some c0mpEnzAtions and for that I don't know.

    • peterw777 on 03/11/2024 - 15:26

      Thanks! We don’t seek any compensations as long as no major issue with baby’s health. But we do want to file complaints so that customers won’t need to face similar circumstances (I hope so). Where could I file complaints to? I’m in Melbourne. Thanks!

      • scrimshaw on 03/11/2024 - 16:22
        +6

        Try to contact both IGA and the manufacturer that made the food.

        Your packaged food label should include the ‘lot’ number. The lot number refers to the identifying number for the ‘lot’ or ‘batch’ of food. These numbers are used to identify the batch the food was manufactured in and the location of its preparation and packaging.

        Alongside this detail, should be your supplier name and address.

        This is used for traceability purposes. Should a food product need to be recalled for any reason, these identification numbers are designed to make the recall process quicker and easier.

        It was likely that the food your baby ate might have bacterial contamination — this could be caused by improper storage conditions (e.g wrong temperature) or the seal has been compromised (e.g jars or sachets with screw top lids).

        To actually know if it was bacterial contamination they would have to send samples of affected batches to a laboratory for testing to know for sure, and if it's positive, the entire lot is recalled. If tested negative then the food can stay on the shelves for sale.

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 03/11/2024 - 15:40

    Good old AI:

    I’m sorry to hear about your experience. In Australia, the distinction between “Best Before” and “Use By” dates is important:

    • Best Before Date: Indicates the period during which the product is at its best quality. Foods can legally be sold after this date, provided they are still safe to consume.
    • Use By Date: Indicates the date after which the food may pose health risks and must not be sold or consumed.

    While selling products past their “Best Before” date isn’t illegal, retailers are responsible for ensuring these products remain safe for consumption. Given your baby’s adverse reaction, it’s crucial to take the following steps:

    1. Seek Medical Attention: Consult a healthcare professional to address your baby’s symptoms and receive appropriate care.
    2. Report the Incident: In Victoria, food safety complaints are typically handled by local councils. Since you’re in Melbourne, you should contact the City of Melbourne’s Environmental Health Unit. They can investigate the matter and ensure the retailer adheres to food safety standards.
    3. Preserve Evidence: Keep the remaining baby food, its packaging, and your purchase receipt. This evidence will be valuable for any investigations.
    4. Inform the Retailer: Notify the IGA store about the incident. They may take immediate action to prevent further issues and might offer compensation.
    5. Stay Informed: For future reference, familiarize yourself with food labeling and safety standards. The Food Standards Australia New Zealand website provides comprehensive information on this topic.

    Your prompt action can help prevent similar incidents and ensure food safety standards are upheld in your community.

  • TALL1one on 03/11/2024 - 15:50
    +1

    Foods that must be eaten before a certain time for health or safety reasons should be marked with a use-by date. Foods should not be eaten after the use-by date and can't legally be sold after this date because they may pose a health or safety risk.

    Most foods have a best-before date. You can still eat foods for a while after the best-before date as they should be safe but they may have lost some quality. Foods that have a best-before date can legally be sold after that date provided the food is fit for human consumption.

    As per
    https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/labelling/dates

  • lachhelix on 03/11/2024 - 15:51
    +9

    Well you said it "We are so angry but seems like selling food after Best Before date is not illegal after searching on Google. We are so confused about this law…"

    Tell them and they might just mark it down or something.

    Ultimately the burden is on you to check the dates on something you're consuming/feeding someone else

  • ozbs25 on 03/11/2024 - 16:02
    +1

    It's not illegal to be selling stuff past the Best Before date. A lot of stuff is fine well past the BB date. Some stuff won't be as nice, hence the "best before". You can kind of get a feel for what will be OK and what won't be via experience. I do know lots of people just throw stuff out as soon as the date hits though. My wife and I are very lax with regards to the BB date but we are quite careful with our toddler.

    Don't take this the wrong way but why didn't you look at the date before you fed your baby? We generally check the date before we buy anything.

  • AustriaBargain on 03/11/2024 - 16:05
    -8

    IGA is disgusting. I guess this is the dark side of a franchisee owning their store. I know there's some cool IGAs out there, there's some that will order in essentials and sell them cheap, sell their candy and stuff cheap for the local kids, keep the store clean, check stock, check the fridges are running properly. So don't get me wrong, they aren't all bad. But IGA is disgusting for coming up with a business model that allows this.

  • MS Paint on 03/11/2024 - 16:12
    +1

    How long after consumption did the diarrhea start?

  • TEER3X on 03/11/2024 - 16:12
    +7

    You can't really say for sure that the food you bought for sure caused the diarrhoea.

    • spurf on 04/11/2024 - 09:27

      You can definitely say for sure it didn't cause the diarrhoea. Unless the seal was broken, there is no way for bacteria to have contaminated the food. There is a misconception that tinned / canned food is dangerous once past its best-before date which is not the case. The food might lose some of it's nutritional value and flavour due to some vitamins etc degrading with time, but the microbial content will be the same as when it was made, ie zero. Foods that have microorganisms in it when packaged, such as some dairy products are a different matter.

  • Ughhh on 03/11/2024 - 16:22
    +1

    As much as I want to support other supermarkets other than Coles and Woolies, from experience, I've found the others tend to have poor use by/exp dates. Kids weetbix I bought from Drakes was to expire/use by in about 2 months. Whereas Coles/Woolies was like ~2 years from memory. How long has the box that I bought sat in store? Wasn't a clearance product either.

    Best to check use by/exp dates whatever and where ever you shop.

  • Lakat on 03/11/2024 - 16:38

    Yes good idea to let the store know. You local council environmental health person might be able to test the batch? I know they do this if you report contaminated food from restaurants.
    Hope your baby is feeling better.

  • Fredfloresjr on 03/11/2024 - 17:05

    Nothing really unless proven via scientifically, like, they have to DNA the bugs from the faeces and then study it to confirm they have the same DNA structure from the consumed food.

    There's one story like this where kids died due to diarrhoea.

    What I learned watching forensic files lol

  • Subere on 03/11/2024 - 17:12
    +2

    Always check BB dates before buying. Especially kids food. Even at ColesWorth the BB for kids yoghurt can be 2 weeks to 2 months. Always check.

  • GordonD on 03/11/2024 - 17:37
    +6

    Foods which are unhealthy to eat after a certain date have a "use by" date.

    Foods which are merely less palatable after a certain date have a "best before" date.

    The latter is the case for baby food, which is sterilised and in a sealed container, so the fact that it was past its use by date may well have NOT been the cause of the OP's baby's diarrhea.

    • TEER3X on 03/11/2024 - 20:41
      +2

      It's highly unlikely that said product would cause diarrhoea because of spoilage.

      IF the baby food was the reason, it's likely because of a reaction to the ingredients.

      That doesn't rule anything out, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions if I was the OP.

  • sumyungguy on 03/11/2024 - 18:07
    +1

    Did the lid make the audible "pop" when opening?

  • Gunnar on 03/11/2024 - 18:14

    A Cutrent Affair, they’d be all over that sh.t (no pun intended)

  • freefall101 on 03/11/2024 - 18:29

    https://www.health.vic.gov.au/food-safety/making-a-complaint…

    Report it here. They'll track the issue.

    Also curious what filming is going to do, report it to the store and get them to clean up their shelves. If they don't, contact Metcash.

  • MrThing on 03/11/2024 - 19:16
    -2

    Current affair is your best option. send us the link when you get on TV

  • bargaino on 03/11/2024 - 20:03
    +9

    OP, please calm down. You are making an unfounded assumption, based on false information.

    Baby food, like other cooked food in jars or cans, is sterile until opened. Consuming it after the "Best before" date is perfectly safe.

    Your babies diarrhoea (note spelling) could have many causes.

    • lunchbox99 on 03/11/2024 - 20:51
      +3

      Bingo. Baby food with a June 2024 best before date is extremely unlikely to be the cause of the issue.

    • Slinky0111 on 04/11/2024 - 08:06
      +2

      My exact thoughts. Sometimes babies just get explosive diarrhoea, could be more acidic as they push through a tooth, something upset their stomach etc. I'm a father to 4 kids and so i've had my fair share of sloppy poos. Seek medical attention if there is blood, more than a week of warery sloppy poo, or if it's 10 times a day.

  • iguana on 03/11/2024 - 21:48
    +1

    You could check the baby food before consumption if you're that sensitive to having a 'best before' date in the past.

    Maybe the baby food wasn't the cause of your baby being sick, maybe it was just a coincidence.

  • samfisher5986 on 04/11/2024 - 09:47

    99.9% chance this is a simple mistake by the IGA 16 year old employee.

    You explain to a manager what happened and you generally move on.. unless your baby continues to have issues and you want compensation.

  • 2esc on 04/11/2024 - 18:37
    +1

    My teenage son works casual filling shelves at a Gippsland IGA and the store manager regularly checks that they have been rotating stock while filling shelves.

    One of his mates temporarily got less shifts that my son thinks was because of regularly not rotating stock.

    So they take stock management serious at that particular rural IGA.

    They are also told any out of date stock put out on the out of date table in the store room. Cold goods a designated shelf in Coolroom.

    Stock is then assessed depending on the date and type by a manager. Some stock put on mark down table, some thrown out and somes times staff given option to take home.

    This also applies to items accidentally cut/torn open while opening boxes.

    Things like cold deli items the customer has change of mind and just put on a shelf somewhere (happens every day) has to go straight in the bin.

    • Ghost47 on 13/11/2024 - 23:27

      Sounds like a good manager.

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