August 26, 2025
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Grocery store chain Stop & Shop has agreed to pay a $75,000 fine to Ocean County, New Jersey to resolve a consumer safety investigation into meat and poultry products that were mislabeled with wrong expiration dates at five stores. A store in Toms River is shown above.
Grocery store chain Stop & Shop was fined $75,000 in Ocean County for selling spoiled meat and poultry products with mislabeled expiration dates, officials with the county's consumer affairs department said Monday.
Expired and mislabeled products were found at all five stores in Ocean County, including one in Toms River that prompted the investigation after officials received multiple complaints from customers who said they bought spoiled products.
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When inspectors visited all five stores — two in Toms River and one each in Brick, Point Pleasant and Manchester — they found "systemic mislabeling practices" that put customers at risk. Many products at the stores in Ocean County were marked with dates showing when they were put out for display instead of when they were packaged, and some beef and poultry products were stamped with extended expiration dates
During the investigation, inspectors learned that Stop & Shop's business has shifted away from using in-store butchers in favor of heavily relying on pre-packaged products purchased from wholesalers. One wholesale box that was delivered in February went unopened until March, but Stop & Shop labeled the products and put them on display as if they had been freshly packaged the same day.
When Ocean County investigators approached Stop & Shop's corporate attorneys and senior management, the company characterized the problem as a "mislabeling issue," officials said. The company signed a consent agreement that includes the fine and an immediate commitment to take corrective action.
"This was a serious breach of consumer trust and confidence," said Ronald Heinzman, director of consumer affairs in Ocean County. "Consumer Affairs took a strong position that this was an immediate public safety, health, and welfare issue."
Stop & Shop operates more than 350 stores across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The company has 46 stores in New Jersey and will now be required to implement stricter safeguards for accurate product labeling statewide.
"We take all food safety matters very seriously," Stop & Shop spokesperson Daniel Wolk said Tuesday. "With respect to this specific situation, upon being notified of the matter, we conducted an investigation and took immediate action."
Wolk said the company follows industry best practices and manufacturers' instructions for putting expiration dates on products.
The "sell by," "best by," and "use by" labels placed on products are sometimes confusing for shoppers. When it comes to food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's safety regulations do not include a requirement for manufacturers or retailers to display labels with expiration dates. The American Heart Association has guidelines for how long food products are safe to store at different temperatures and use beyond the dates shown on labels.
In general, how something smells is the first indicator of whether something might be spoiled, according to guidance from the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
"If you open something up — even if it's before the date printed on the package — and there's a funny smell, or it's slimy and gross, it's probably been contaminated, so you don't want to eat it," said Beverly Rodgers, a clinical dietitian for the health system.
