Cracked Trust: Why Supermarkets Must Take Responsibility for Food Date Fraud
By Riad Beladi | ISN Reveal
A recent egg safety warning in the UK has once again brought to light a worrying issue: some suppliers are deliberately placing false best-before dates on food products. This is not just a breach of trust; it is a direct threat to public health—and raises serious questions about how much responsibility supermarkets bear when things go wrong.
A Dangerous Game with Dates
At the heart of the issue is something that may seem simple—a label. But the difference between a best-before and a use-by date can mean the difference between safety and sickness. Eggs and poultry are particularly sensitive products. Extending shelf life by altering dates not only violates regulations—it puts lives at risk.
It has now become clear that some suppliers have been manipulating packaging to make older stock appear fresher. This is not an accidental oversight; it is calculated fraud. And while suppliers may be the ones physically altering the labels, supermarkets are the ones putting those products on their shelves.
Where Were the Checks?
One of the key questions consumers are asking is: how did this go unnoticed? Supermarkets are vast, complex operations—but they are also multi-billion-pound businesses with the tools and teams to track, trace and verify every product that enters their supply chain. When such a basic failure slips through, the blame cannot rest on suppliers alone.
Too often, retailers rely on the assumption that their supply partners are doing the right thing. But blind trust is not a strategy—especially when consumer health is on the line. Supermarkets must implement tighter controls, conduct more frequent audits, and take swift action when standards are not met.
Playing with Public Health
Mislabelled eggs may not sound like a national crisis—but the risk is real. Improperly stored or outdated eggs can carry bacteria like salmonella, which can lead to serious illness, particularly among children, the elderly, and those with weaker immune systems. Food safety is not just a matter of policy—it is a matter of public duty.
When a shopper walks into a store, they should be able to assume the food they buy is safe, legal, and correctly labelled. That trust is fundamental. Once it is broken, regaining it is no easy task.
Time for Action
What’s needed now is a clear response. Supermarkets must step up their vigilance—not just reactively, but proactively. This means enhanced traceability systems, supplier re-evaluation, and a zero-tolerance approach to any kind of date tampering. It also means better training for in-store staff to recognise potential risks and remove questionable stock before it reaches the customer.
In a competitive retail world, cutting corners for cost can be tempting. But when safety is compromised, the cost is far greater—measured not in pounds and pence, but in the damage done to consumer confidence and wellbeing.
The Bottom Line
Supermarkets sit at the front line of public food consumption. They cannot afford to treat safety as someone else’s problem. As cases of date fraud emerge, it’s time for the retail giants to accept that with great scale comes even greater responsibility.
A cracked egg may seem small—but when it reveals a broken system, we must all take notice.