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June 2022 June 2022

DORSET TRADING STANDARDS Repair Shop
Over the last months we have be doing some wood work in the Lower room of
Dorset County Council Trading Standards Service check and the hall : making bird boxes, bug hotels and planters etc We have completed
approve businesses so you don’t have to. and refurbished the table tennis table and that is available for people to play a
For more information visit www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or game.
call 08454 040506. If you are interested in coming along and doing any of the above or your own
To report or seek advice about problems you have small project, call in and see Paul Bennett you will be very welcome.
experienced when dealing with a trader call 08454 040506.
Have you checked out our Pop In Place website popinplace.org
For more details about any of the above or to find out about volunteering phone
Understanding your food dates
Alison Bennett 01929 47023
In general food law requires pre packed food to have a date mark. Depending
on the food type this is either a ‘use by’ date or a ‘best before’ date.
The use by date is about safety and is the most
important date to remember! Food with a use
by date goes off quickly even if it is stored
correctly and looks and smells fine. You find it on
food such as meat products or ready-prepared
salads. Food can be eaten up until the use by
date but should not be eaten after the date
has passed. Most food, including meat and milk,
can be frozen up until the use by date too. The
food can then be defrosted and eaten at a
later date. In these circumstances the use by
date will no longer apply, but the food will still
be a type of food that goes off quickly so
should be eaten quickly once defrosted. For the
use by to be a valid guide you must carefully
follow storage instructions.
The best before date is about quality and not safety. The food will be safe to eat
after this date but the food may no longer be at its best. Its flavour and texture for
example might not be as good. The best before date appears on a wide range
of frozen, dried, tinned and other foods. The best before date will only be
accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label.
Shops can sell food once the ‘best before’ date has passed, however selling food
past its ‘use by’ date is a criminal offence and can lead to prosecution. Dorset
Council Trading Standards would like to know if you find someone selling food
past its use by date.
To report something to Trading Standards or for advice about goods or services
you have bought then please contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on
08082231133.

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