**Asda Fined Over £650,000 for Selling Expired Food in Cardiff Stores**
British supermarket chain Asda has come under scrutiny after being fined more than £650,000 for selling out-of-date food across two of its Cardiff branches. The breaches, described as “persistent” by Cardiff Magistrates Court, included over 100 products past their use-by dates, with several being high-risk items like meat and dairy.
The court proceedings revealed that the incidents occurred at Asda locations on Leckwith Road in Canton and at the Pentwyn branch in Pontprennau. Inspections carried out by Cardiff Council regulators on multiple occasions between January and May 2024 uncovered a total of 115 expired food items at the two outlets. The breaches were identified during both routine visits and as a result of public complaints regarding food safety.
During the first inspection at the Canton branch in January, officials discovered goods that were up to a week out of date. A further review in May found that six products had gone beyond their use-by labels. In response to a customer complaint, the Pentwyn branch was also investigated, leading to the discovery of 25 expired items on a March visit—some found to be two weeks past their shelf-life. A subsequent inspection in April at the same location unearthed an additional 48 expired products, one of which was 12 days past its legal consumption date.
Representing Cardiff Council, Lee Reynolds highlighted the significance of these expired items, emphasising the risk to public health when perishable goods such as meat and dairy are not removed promptly from shelves. The offences spanned several months and both locations, leading to the court’s assertion that this was not an isolated event.
Ian McDonald, speaking for Asda in court, acknowledged the seriousness of the breaches and explained that the company has since overhauled its food monitoring systems. He revealed that over £1 million had been spent on consultation after the incidents, and an initial training programme for the company’s 105,000 employees cost an additional £600,000. McDonald told the court that increased senior management oversight and additional training for staff had now been put in place with the aim of preventing future lapses.
District Judge Charlotte Murphy, presiding over the case, commented that while Asda had existing monitoring procedures, these were “not sufficient”. She noted the offences were “not minor or part of an isolated incident” due to their occurrence across two stores and spanning nearly half a year. However, the judge did state that the actual risk to the public was low in this instance.
For breaching General Food Regulations 2004, Asda received fines totalling £640,000, with further court costs bringing the overall sum to £657,115. The company entered a guilty plea on 21 May 2025, and was ordered to pay the amount within 28 days.
In the wake of the conviction, Cllr Norma Mackie, the cabinet member responsible for Shared Regulatory Services at Cardiff Council, expressed her support for the court’s ruling. She underscored the importance of consumers having confidence in the safety of food being sold and stressed that robust procedures are vital to prevent the sale of expired goods. Mackie criticised Asda’s previous systems as “clearly inadequate”, but said she hoped the supermarket giant would now maintain the promised improvements across all its branches.
Asda has responded with a public apology, stating it regrets the incidents and accepts its standards fell short. An Asda spokesperson outlined the introduction of a new daily date-code checking system for all short-life products in every store, aimed at ensuring customers receive only the freshest possible food.
Notably, this Cardiff case is not the first time Asda has faced substantial fines for expired goods. Earlier in April this year, the supermarket was handed a penalty of £410,000 after similar breaches at two Cornish branches. In October the previous year, a Derby store was fined £250,000 after food items six months past their best-before date were found on its shelves.
Despite these high-profile breaches, Asda remains one of Britain’s largest supermarket chains, reporting an annual revenue of £21.7 billion (excluding fuel sales) for its 2024 financial year. With fresh procedures now pledged, the company faces growing scrutiny to ensure such breaches are not repeated.