Stop & Shop has been ordered to pay $75,000 in fines and adopt stricter food safety safeguards after an Ocean County investigation revealed widespread mislabeling and spoiled meat at several New Jersey stores, officials announced Monday.
The investigation began after complaints about spoiled beef and poultry at the Toms River Stop & Shop. Inspectors found products with mislabeled dates and expired items awaiting display. The probe soon expanded to all five Ocean County stores, uncovering systemic issues, including the use of display dates instead of actual packaging dates and expiration dates that exceeded wholesaler recommendations.
In one case, a wholesale box delivered in February was not opened until March but was labeled as freshly packaged that day.
“This was a serious breach of consumer trust and confidence,” said Ronald Heinzman, director of Ocean County Consumer Affairs.
Stop & Shop cooperated with investigators and signed a consent agreement requiring immediate corrective actions across its 46 New Jersey stores. The company must now follow strict labeling guidelines, increase training and oversight, and ensure compliance with food safety standards statewide.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and Division of Consumer Affairs were briefed on the findings to monitor ongoing compliance.
“I commend the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs for their commitment to protecting residents,” said Commissioner Robert S. Arace.
Consumers with concerns about mislabeled or spoiled products may contact the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs at 732-244-2121.
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