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A new mum has been left feeling sour after discovering baby milk bought for her 10-week-old son was a month past its best-before date.
Tina Butler, from Whitstable, purchased two one-litre bottles of Aptamil from Sainsbury's in Chestfield on November 4.
But when the 28-year-old went to give the breast milk substitute to tiny Jayden the next day, she noticed the best-before date was October 6.
“I went back to the supermarket with my dad to make them aware of the situation,” she said.
“I told three women behind the customer service desk about it and they didn’t seem interested.
“When I showed one of the ladies the bottle, she was reluctant to give it back.”
The staff offered Miss Butler a refund on both of the bottles - which retail at £3.70 each - and a £10 gift card for her troubles, which she rejected.
Mum-of-one Miss Butler, who lives in the Borstal Hill area, then phoned Sainsbury’s to demand action to avoid a repeat of the episode.
She was this time offered a £25 gift card, and then £50, but she refused both.
“It is neglect," she said. "You trust what you buy to be in date and to get home and realise that it’s a month out of date; it shatters your trust.
“I just want parents to be aware Sainsbury’s are not checking their dates.
“I am worried. I have read stories about babies being taken to hospital after eating out of date food and Jayden could have been quite ill.”
Miss Butler is also unhappy with the way Sainsbury’s have dealt with the situation.
“They should have been more comforting of the situation but they just wanted me to get out of the door," she said.
The Food Standards Agency says best-before dates are about quality, not safety, and it is not illegal to sell goods after the date has passed.
But in Scotland one mum reported her toddler being violently sick for three days after drinking Aptamil from Tesco which was a month past its best-before date.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We have apologised to Tina for her experience and offered her a gesture of goodwill.
"Stock has been checked to make sure this does not happen again.”
