Toys R Us sold expired baby formula: CBC probe

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Toys " R " Us sold expired baby formula: CBC probe

CBC – Tue, 25 Jan 3:05 PM EST.

Expired baby formula has been sold at several Toys " R " Us stores across Canada,

CBC News has learned.

The expired formula was found at three stores in Edmonton, as well as at one

location in Winnipeg and another in Ottawa.

In Winnipeg, a CBC News producer at a Toys " R " Us noticed a warning pop up at

the cash register stating a product had expired. The store nevertheless sold the

product without a warning.

Only one of the Edmonton stores noticed the alert and refused to sell the

formula.

In one instance, a crate of baby formula was labelled with an expiry date of

Dec. 8, 2010. It was sold a month-and-a-half past that date, on Jan. 21 of this

year.

In an emailed statement to CBC News, Toys " R " Us Inc. said that it has " strict

protocols for inspecting perishable items on a regular basis " and that items due

to expire within 30 days of an inspection are normally taken off shelves.

" Our store employees have been retrained on this issue to ensure this does not

happen again, " the statement said.

Rick Holley, a professor of food science at the University of Manitoba, said

food products shouldn't be consumed after the product's expiration date. The

nutritional content would likely have deteriorated, he said, and in some cases

the product could cause illness if ingested.

Holley said that if a product has an expired due date, it should be thrown out.

In 2009, a Winnipeg boy became ill after consuming baby food purchased after its

expiration date.