San Jose Ethnic Supermarket Sells Expired Products More Than a Year Old
An ethnic supermarket in San Jose Ethnic at 272 East Santa Clara St., on the corner of 7th St. has a long history of selling expired food products. Many of those are more than a year past the printed expiration date.
These out of date products pose a real health hazard to consumers. Infants are especially at risk because of their weak immune systems.
The Su Vianda supermarket will be asked to sign a “code of conduct” document here on Thursday at a news conference.
A briefing at the news conference, sponsored by Justice for Mercado Workers Coalition, will include displays of the expired products purchased at the Supermarket by undercover shoppers. The Mercado Workers Coalition says the Su Vianda ethnic Supermarket has been selling out-of-date food products to the mostly Latino community for several years.
One year ago, the Mercado Workers Coalition revealed Su Vianda’s practices for the first time. Since that time, undercover shoppers have acquired more than one hundred expired food products from the shelves of Su Vianda.
In one instance the practice endangered infants. The Coalition says they “found three (3) small jars of Gerber Veal Gravy for infants nearly a year old, with expiration dates 253 days before the date of purchase.” That wasn’t the worst example of out of date food. some Jars of Ragu Spaghetti Sauce had been expired for more than a year – 476 days.
Residents in this community, most of them Latino, other organizations and consumer advocates are outraged by such unfair business practices; they will call on Su Vianda to stop employing such measures and become a good neighbor – especially to Latino families who are the main patrons of this store.
The Workers Coalition has urged local City Elected Officials to intervene to help stop these abuses.
Local community residents, organizations and consumer advocates say they are outraged by the terrible business practices at the Su Vianda supermarket. At the press conference, they will be calling on Su Vianda to become a good neighbor in the community and stop selling the out-of-date food. It is thought they may have been doing it because most of this community are Latino and usually do not complain.
The Coalition has also made representations to local City Elected Officials, asking them to intervene to help stop such abuses.
