Indian Man Awarded Compensation for Out of Date Food

Posted on Jul 03, 2009 
 

A Mohali man has been awarded Rs 5,000 in compensation after his wife was hospitalised for food poisoning after eating an out of date chocolate muffin. 
 
On February 2nd 2009, Navtej Singh from Mohali, India, purchased Prime Time chocolate muffins and a Prime Time dry fruit bun from a Sector 27 based retail outlet, "More". What he didn't realise was that the products had an expiry date of the previous day February 1st 2009.  
 
Mr Singh's complaint against the retail outlet describes what happened after he bought the goods:  
 
"On the same day at about 9 pm, my wife Reet consumed the chocolate muffin and soon started vomiting and had an upset stomach. Next morning, we took her to the general hospital in Sector 16 where she was diagnosed to have food poisoning. On reaching home, I found that the second product was also past its expiry date. I went to the store and showed them the product and sought an explanation but they refused to budge. They even denied to hand over the complaint book."  
 
"More" admitted that the muffins and bun had been purchased from their shop but pleaded that they had not expired and were fit for consumption.  
 
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum ordered "More" to pay Mr Singh compensation of Rs 5,000 and a refund of Rs 25 for the goods, finding the shop guilty of "unfair tradepractice" for selling food that was past its expiry date. The forum however did not give compensation for Mrs Singh's food poisoning, observing that:  
 
"The contention of the complainant to have suffered food poisoning due to the consumption of the said chocolate muffins has not been proved. There is no medical evidence produced by them to prove that food poisoning occurred due to the consumption of the products alone. We are, therefore, not inclined to accept this part of the contention."