“I’m scared”: Woman finds aisles of expired food labeled “still good” at gas station
A TikToker in a Detroit convenience store was left horrified after finding shelves of food marked "out of date but still good." Multiple shelves in multiple aisles were labeled this way by handmade signs, which convinced the woman to leave without buying anything.
Meanwhile, commenters claimed they've found expired food in shops like this with no warning.
"I just want a cupcake"
In September, TikToker @sexxxiiyyycoco45 filmed as she walked through the gas station store in Detroit, Michigan, showing all the shelves sporting signs that read "out of date but still goool"—by which they meant "out of date but still good."
"Only in Detroit," the caption reads.
@sexxxiiyyycoco45 Wanted a Laffy taffy n now I'm straight
♬ original sound - Sexycoco
"I'm confused," she said in the video. "Sh*t, I'm scared."
She traversed at least three aisles where candy, packaged cookies, and salty snacks were all labeled this way. It's unclear whether or not the shop at least offered a discount for the outdated items.
The signs left the TikToker nervous and unable to trust anything else the store was selling.
"Now you about to have me check the date on all this sh*t," she said.
"I just want a cupcake."
At the end, she declared that she would not be buying anything from that gas station.
The comments, especially those from Detroit locals, lacked any amount of surprise. In fact, a lot of folks expressed that shops selling expired food is a common sight. The unusual part of this video was the warning signs.
"At least they tell you, a lot of places will just sell it to you as is and won’t let you know anything," said @detr0itjai.
"If yall notice a lot of markets in Detroit food been out dated," wrote @moneworldd.
Are shops legally allowed to sell expired food?
While people tend to take expiration dates and similar labels quite seriously—a smart practice if you dislike food poisoning—there is no federal law prohibiting the sale of foods past these dates. In fact, putting these labels on food items is voluntary.
The only exception to this is infant formula. Individual states may also have their own laws on the subject. For example, Michigan requires retailers to include expiration dates on perishable foods.
It remains voluntary, however, for non-perishable items like the candy and snacks sold in many convenience stores. These items are unlikely to cause illness if consumed after the "best by" date, which is really only an estimate of the point at which the item stops being its tastiest.
That's probably why so many TikTok commenters reported seeing expired foods at gas stations in their own cities.
"Got a gas station here in Monroe w the same thing," reported @feeltherainbow313.
"NOT JUST DETROIT IT'S ALL OVER THE WORLD," wrote @vee441790.
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