Toys "R" Us sold expired baby formula: CBC probe
Expired baby formula has been sold at several Toys "R" Us stores across Canada, CBC News has learned.
The expired formula was found at three stores in Edmonton, as well as at one location in Winnipeg and another in Ottawa.
In Winnipeg, a CBC News producer at a Toys "R" Us noticed a warning pop up at the cash register stating a product had expired. The store nevertheless sold the product without a warning.
Only one of the Edmonton stores noticed the alert and refused to sell the formula.
In one instance, a crate of baby formula was labelled with an expiry date of Dec. 8, 2010. It was sold a month-and-a-half past that date, on Jan. 21 of this year.
In an emailed statement to CBC News, Toys "R" Us Inc. said that it has "strict protocols for inspecting perishable items on a regular basis" and that items due to expire within 30 days of an inspection are normally taken off shelves.
"Our store employees have been retrained on this issue to ensure this does not happen again," the statement said.
Rick Holley, a professor of food science at the University of Manitoba, said food products shouldn't be consumed after the product's expiration date. The nutritional content would likely have deteriorated, he said, and in some cases the product could cause illness if ingested.
Holley said that if a product has an expired due date, it should be thrown out.
In 2009, a Winnipeg boy became ill after consuming baby food purchased after its expiration date.
