ALBANY -- State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo plans to sue Rite Aid and CVS over allegedly selling expired products -- including milk, eggs, medicines and baby formula -- at stores across New York.


Cuomo said today that a probe by his office found that CVS and Rite Aid sold expired goods at 142 CVS stores and 112 Rite Aid stores in about 41 counties in New York, including in Dutchess, Monroe, Westchester and Broome.

Cuomo said an investigation started in March found that CVS and Rite Aid were the worst offenders, so the lawsuit focuses on them. He issued a notice of intent to sue to the companies today.

He said undercover investigators purchased more than 600 expired products, including some that were more than one-year old.

The probe found that 60 percent of CVS stores visited had expired items and 43 percent of the Rite Aid stores visited had expired products.

“It’s a double whammy for the consumer,” Cuomo said in a conference call with reporters. “You’re not getting what you paid for in the first place, and you may be buying a product that is ineffective or even worse is harmful.”

The stores had no immediate comment.

Cuomo said the lawsuit will focus on a number of federal, state and local laws that are aimed to product consumers.

“Consumers who purchase milk, infant formula and medicines have a right to expect that expired products will not be offered for sale,” said Chuck Bell, programs director for the Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine.

For a list of Rite Aid stores and CVS stores where the Attorney General’s Office found expired products, visit ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CVS AND RITE AID FOR SELLING EXPIRED PRODUCTS ACROSS UPSTATE NEW YORK

Here is the list of locations:
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/200...iteAidData.pdf

Yikes!!!

I still think expiration dates on somethings are just plain silly. I bought a jug of water the other day that said it expiration Aug 2008. How does water expire?

When CVS had the Kraft Promotion "Buy 20..get $20 in ECB" 2 boxes of my crackers were expired and my Loona Danes (sp?) cookies were expired....

Lesson learned: Check the expiration date and never automatically trust the store!

The Neutrogena Sunscreen I just bought there was manufactured in Feb 2003, more than 5 years later they sold it to me. If I had put that on my children before a day at the beach, they would be getting sued by me too. And when I returned it, they had the nerve to give me trouble about it. I'm located in Broome Co, one of the ones Cuomo listed! Surprise, surprise!

who knows how long stuff sits on shelves at places like CVS. obviously something like cereal is going to move a lot faster in the grocery store than at CVS. and it takes boxed goods a long time to expire...yikes.

That's why these stock up sales are great for stores--they get rid of stuff expiring soon, and we let it sit on our shelves at home and expire there.

Oh, wait...Is that only me?

the link doesn't work for me... i'm in NY and want to see if my stores are listed!

I got the list! Oh gosh, my favorite store is on the list!!! I always check expiration dates first, but man... that really stinks, especially that most of it is baby related items

Well I hate to say this but I am glad they are doing it. I sure hope they crack down on them for not honoring their ads. Example when an item is advertised as FREE after ECB's. They refuse to write a raincheck even the ad doesn't state no rain checks. Example the office chair last fall. They had is for a 2 day sale. I went in 2:00 pm the day the sale began. It was advertised as $29.99 after $10.00 ecb's. A store employee bought 1 of the only 2 they had. To me it was sneaky to only order 2. So I called and complained on Tuesday because corporate was closed for the holiday. The DM called me and said he would send and email out requesting the chair. He called me back within and hour and said they found one in a different town. They wouldn't give it to me for $29.99 and they wouldn't write a RC for $10.00 ECBs. I had ecbs that would expire. So I used those but still it was advertised and they didn't fulfill the ad. They have had other things like the alevert. I tried to get that~gone. I tried to get a RC and was told but store manger they don't write RC for ECB's. I called corp. and asked them they said yes they do. I told her my store won't. Then they told me that each store manager can make his own decision to write a RC. So to me that is deceptive advertising to get me into the store...except it makes me mad

The link wouldn't work for me. I however have pulled a manager aside when trying to by boxed goods that were expired a long time.

Working retail has forced me to check anything I buy that expires for an expiration date. Whether there's not enough manpower to check everything or the employees just don't care, I don't want any stale Oreo's!

Fixed Link

I've been to all the stores listed in Broome Co., except the ones on Main Street. They're in a scary part of town, someone might try to steal my free toothbrushes!

The only thing I bought expired that I know of was soem Head and Shoulders shampoo and soem hair serum. Honestly, at the price I paid for them, it was okay that they were expired. With food products though I can understand why there woudl eb a concern. When I went in for my backpack wipes the other week though they told me they were out of them because they had expired. That I thought was a little silly (but luckily I found some that were in another spot). I kind of like lookign at expiration dates to see how old something is. If they didn't do that, I would at least like a "made on" date stamped on the item. With vitamins I try to pull from the back becasue I know the dates make a difference on that.

I bought ice cream that had an expiration date of a year ago. We had already eaten it when I found the expired date printed on the bottom of the carton. I don't know if it was a misprint because the ice cream was still tasty. Weird.