Perera and Sons (P&S) has apologised after expired bakery products were found on sale at its St. Benedict’s Mawatha outlet, describing the incident as a “genuine error” and announcing tighter expiry-date checks across all its outlets.
The apology follows a decision by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court to fine Perera and Sons Bakers Pvt Ltd Rs. 200,000 after the company pleaded guilty to selling expired bakery products.
The case arose from an inspection conducted by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) on April 20, during which strawberry-flavoured cream buns bearing an expiry date of April 16 were found being offered for sale at the outlet.
In a public notice issued following the court case, P&S said it was reviewing how the lapse occurred and strengthening its checking procedures both at the outlet concerned and across its network.
The company said its teams had been instructed to exercise greater care when checking expiry dates to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
P&S also said it deliberately maintains relatively short shelf lives for its products as part of its effort to provide customers with fresher food.
However, it acknowledged that this approach requires greater vigilance in monitoring products displayed for sale.
“This is where we fell short,” the company said, while apologising to customers for the incident.
P&S said customers could contact its customer care channels with any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding its products and services.
Meanwhile, the CAA has urged consumers to check manufacturing and expiry dates before purchasing food products and to report businesses selling expired products through its 1977 hotline.
