Jun 13, 2008 7:43 pm US/Eastern
NY Rite Aid, CVS Stores Don't Heed Call From AG
142 CVS & 112 Rite Aid Pharmacies Shelving Expired Food, Medicine, Baby Formula
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
After an investigation by New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, two major pharmacies were ordered to pull expired items from food to medicine and baby formula off store shelves. But in a hidden camera investigation on Friday, CBS 2's Consumer Reporter Kirstin Cole found the chains were slow to act.
When CBS 2 took a hidden camera into a New York City CVS location, one cited by the Attorney General's Office for violating health code laws, expired products were still found available on store shelves. When Cole asked the store's manager about the products, he refused to talk.
"They don't care. Nothing's being done. No one's helping," said customer Jeanetta Badillo.
CBS 2 cameras finally spotted the manager yanking expired formula from a locked glass case, but it was too late for customers, who were consistently seen buying expired milk and butter.
"It's all about the buck, that's it. That's it," said Frankie Banks.
Cuomo told CVS and Rite Aid of his intentions to sue them for violating New York Sate law, and hopes to slap the stores with hefty fines. But this is not the first time. CBS 2 did its own undercover investigation 4 years ago, finding drug stores selling expired good.
CVS entered into an agreement 5 years ago with the Attorney General's office, promising to stop selling items past their expiration date.
In a statement, CVS told us they have a review system in place to remove all expired merchandise from store shelves, saying they will work aggressively to ensure it happens in all stores:
"We value the trust our customers have placed in us to sell them products that are safe and effective and the findings of New York's Attorney General are unacceptable to us. We will cooperate fully with his office in this matter. We have a review system in place, in which at the end of every month, our stores are required to submit a report verifying that shelves are checked for expired merchandise, and that any such merchandise is removed. In the event expired product is discovered, the proper procedure is to remove the item from the shelf immediately. We will work aggressively to ensure that our review and removal procedures are followed consistently in all of our stores." - CVS
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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