- $1 million in compensation will be donated to non-profit organizations
- This is because it is not possible to know which customer purchased the product.
- Have you recently purchased an expired product from CVS? Please contact caitlin.tilley@mailonline.com
- READ MORE: Pfizer Announces Recall of 4.2 Million Drug Packets
US retailer CVS has to pay a $7.5 million settlement in California for selling expired baby food and medicines.
Prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against CVS in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, alleging it sold baby food, over-the-counter medications, and infant formula past their “use-by” dates.
A judge last week ordered CVS to collect $6.5 million in civil penalties and investigative costs, resulting in 27 counties fined between $12,500 and $475,000.
Last year, a shortage of formula in the United States prompted the FDA to warn that expired products could not be used safely.
Investigators found no evidence of damage to customers from expired products.
CVS is also required to pay $1 million in compensation, but since it was determined that it would be impossible to identify which customer purchased the product, the entire amount will be donated to a non-profit organization.
These include Public Health Charities in Oakland, Homeless Assistance Nonprofits in Santa Monica, and Food Banks in Fresno and Stockton.
After becoming aware of the problem, CVS searched its California stores for expired items and retrained employees on rotating expired items.
“CVS has been cooperative in conducting expired internal inspections of over-the-counter medications, infant formula and baby food at all California retail stores,” the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
CVS invested additional time and resources to develop an expiration date verification program and to retrain store staff on date checking.
“The investigation found no evidence that the sale of expired products resulted in physical harm to consumers.”
In a statement issued to Southern California’s City News Service, CVS said its leaders were “satisfied with the agreement we reached in California, which will include important enhancements in technology, auditing, and the education of our colleagues.” We are investing,” he said.
He added, “CVS Pharmacy has a clear product withdrawal policy to ensure that products are removed from shelves before they reach their expiration date.”
“Any unintentional deviation from this policy is reported to us and will be corrected immediately.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strongly discourages the use of expired medicines, as changes in chemical composition and loss of strength can make them less effective or dangerous.
Some older drugs are more susceptible to bacterial growth.
The FDA’s website warns, “There is no guarantee that the drug is safe and effective after the expiration date.” Do not use if the medicine has expired. ”
With baby food, the nutrients contained in the milk begin to deteriorate after the expiration date.
Similarly, baby formula isn’t made to last forever, so bacteria can start growing over time.
The FDA said the use-by date is “the period by which the manufacturer guarantees the nutritional content and quality of the formula.”
“After this date, infants should not be given any packages or containers of infant formula.”