June, 2002

Well, if they are, they won’t be for long! Nassau County’s Office of Consumer Affairs is on the case. Their investigators visited 30 local supermarkets and issued 25 citations for such violations as outdated cold cuts, dairy, meat, appetizing items and other perishables. There were also infractions involving no dates on items that needed last dates of sale, such as meat and bread.

Among the chain stores visited and cited were Waldbaum’s, Stop & Shop, King Kullen, Sutton Place Gourmet, Kings Super Markets, Foodtown, Western Beef, Associated, Key Food, Shoprite, and Compare Foods. Five individual stores were inspected where no violations were found. These were C-Town (Long Beach, Met Food (Massapequa Park), King Kullen (Bellmore) and two Stop & Shops (Bethpage and East Rockaway).

Roger Bogsted, Commissioner, Office of Consumer Affairs, stated that, "We will continue to visit the supermarkets in Nassau County to ensure that our citizens are safe to enjoy fresh, unspoiled foods with their loved ones. We cannot tolerate a lax attitude in this regard. Although not all stores in a chain were found to have violations, we don’t need a weak link within the system. We must make certain every store is vigilant in removing outdated items. As a matter of course, our resident shoppers should be checking the items they purchase to be sure of their freshness and should immediately report any problems to the store so that the problem can be corrected."

The Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs, celebrating 35 years of service to its residents, was created on June 9, 1967. Nassau County has the distinction of being the first local government to establish an office dedicated to serving its residents solely in their role as consumers. Their complaint division, which resolves individual consumer complaints, conducts in-depth investigations, and establishes guidelines for fair and ethical business practices, can be reached at 516-571-2600.