CVS faces charge of selling old products

CVS Caremark Corp., the nation’s second-largest drug store chain by sales, and Rite Aid Corp., the third biggest, were accused by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of selling medicine, milk and eggs after they expired.
Cuomo plans to sue the companies in a statewide probe that turned up an “egregious pattern” of such sales at their stores, according to a statement earlier this month. He said the inquiry found 142 CVS stores and 112 Rite Aid stores in New York sold expired items.
The investigation began in March and included approximately 1,000 locations of several drugstore chains, turning up more than 600 expired products including baby formula. Expired products were found at 60 percent of CVS stores visited and 43 percent of the Rite Aid stores visited in the probe.
The investigation has “uncovered a shameful disregard for public health in these stores,” Cuomo said. “These companies allowed personal profit to get ahead of their customers’ health.”
The inquiry began with a “wide focus, looking at several of the major chains, but through the results we began focusing on these two specific companies,” Cuomo spokesman Alex Detrick said in a statement. “It’s an ongoing investigation.”
Michael DeAngelis, a spokesman for Woonsocket- based CVS, called the results of Cuomo’s probe “unacceptable” and pledged to cooperate with his office. He said the company was notified June 12.
“Our policy is to remove items before they go beyond the expiration date,” he said in a statement.
Cheryl Slavinsky, a spokeswoman for Rite Aid, said its policy is to remove outdated products. In a statement, she said the company received Cuomo’s letter June 12 and that all stores on a list he provided were told to make sure their products were still valid.
She added that the company is ordering products checked at all of its stores nationwide and requiring a policy refresher for employees on expiration dates.
Cuomo urged consumers to check expiration dates on products purchased at the two companies’ stores. He said that he sent each a five-day notice of intention to sue. &#8226