Supermarket Asda has been fined more than £400,000 after two of its Cornwall stores were found to be selling out-of-date food.
An investigation by Cornwall Council's Trading Standards Team found 58 out-of-date food items were on the shelves of Asda's Penryn store on 30 October 2023.
Cornwall Council said a further investigation at Asda in Hayle on Nov 1 2023 found four items on sale past the use-by date.
Asda Stores Ltd pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (April 23) to two charges of having unsafe food on offer for sale.
Asda said "safety of our customers is always our top priority" and a "new date code checking process" has been introduced.
District Judge Jo Matson said although there were systems in place to prevent the sale of food after the use-by date, they were not adhered to.
She said the actions taken by Asda "were not sufficient" after concerns were raised by customers and Trading Standards.
Cornwall Council said many of the items were "ready to eat foods" including children's yoghurts which were nearly four weeks past the use-by date.
Use-by dates are applied to highly perishable foods that could pose a serious health risk if consumed after this date and Food Standards Agency guidance states they should not be eaten.
Asda Stores Ltd was ordered to pay a fine of £410,000, prosecutions costs of £20,582.70 and a victim surcharge of £2,000.
Jane Tomlinson, Trading Standards group leader at Cornwall Council, said, "Consumers should be confident that the food they buy is safe to eat.
"We hope that the steps Asda Stores Ltd have now put in place will prevent the sale of out-of-date food in future."
An Asda spokesperson said. "The safety of our customers is always our top priority, and we regret that out-of-date products were found on sale at two of our Cornwall stores during October and November 2023.
"Since these instances, we have implemented a new date code checking process in all stores, ensuring that every short life product is checked daily."
