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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) will impose another heavy fine on Ahold Czech Republic, a.s., for selling different kinds of meat products that have been additionally relabelled with different best before dates than initially stated on original packaging or that did not bear use by dates. Consumers could therefore mistakenly believe that durability of different kinds of salami and pastes is longer by up to several months. The company had thus misled them.

In Hypernova store in Čestlice, the CAFIA inspectors identified four kinds of packaged meat products labelled with expired best before date on original packaging that have been relabelled with a new label extending the original durability date by 2 – 4 months. The CAFIA inspectors found on a number of other meat products traces of removed original labels or of original durability dates that have been erased and relabelled. Ahold thus not only misled consumers but what is more, it also hindered the performance of state supervision because it ignored CAFIA´s repeated appeals to express itself on such practices.

During repeated inspections of Hypernova store in Nové Butovice, the CAFIA inspectors found two kinds of pastes labelled with best before date, although such products must be labelled with use by date. Unlike best before date, when food can, under certain conditions, be sold even after its expiration, products with expired use by date must be immediately excluded from sale. Moreover, information on the packaging was a mixture of confusing Czech and Slovak words, while according to the Food Act information intended for Czech consumers must be stated clearly and, above all, in Czech. The CAFIA had already imposed remedial measure on the store for the same deficiency; however, the company did not respect it.

This year, it was not for the first time that inspectors identified misleading labelling of food in Ahold stores. At the beginning of the year, they found food in Hypernova on Budějovická Street, Prague, which the staff of the store have cut and packaged and then provided with untrue packaging date.

The CAFIA will initiate administrative proceeding against the company and impose a heavy fine which will reflect not only identified deficiencies but also company’s approach to case solving.