I. Responsibilities and Obligations of Merchants
As a seller of goods, merchants have the obligation to check the quality of the goods they sell. They should ensure that the goods they sell meet the quality standards and are within the validity period. Once the expired goods are found, the sales should be stopped immediately, and the sold expired goods should be recalled.
Second, protect consumers' rights and interests
When purchasing goods, consumers have the right to require the quality of the goods to be qualified and within the validity period. If a merchant sells expired products and infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, consumers can claim compensation from the merchant or complain to relevant departments.
Third, the legal punishment for merchants.
For businesses selling expired products, the regulatory authorities will impose corresponding penalties according to the actual situation. Specific punishment methods include but are not limited to fines, orders to stop sales, confiscation of illegal income, etc. For businesses with serious circumstances, they may also face more severe penalties such as revoking their business licenses.
Fourth, strengthen supervision and prevention.
In order to prevent merchants from selling expired products, the regulatory authorities should strengthen daily inspections and supervision to find and deal with illegal acts in time. At the same time, businesses should also strengthen self-discipline, establish and improve the quality management system, and ensure that the quality of the goods sold is qualified and within the validity period.
To sum up:
It is illegal for merchants to sell expired products and will be sanctioned by law. In order to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and fair competition in the market, the regulatory authorities should strengthen the supervision of merchants, and merchants should consciously abide by laws and regulations to ensure that the goods sold are qualified and within the validity period.
Legal basis:
Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests
Article 55 provides that:
If an operator commits fraud in providing goods or services, it shall increase the compensation for the losses suffered by consumers as required, and the compensation amount shall be three times the price of the goods purchased by consumers or the cost of receiving services; If the amount of additional compensation is less than that of 500 yuan, it shall be 500 yuan. Where there are other provisions in the law, those provisions shall prevail.
People's Republic of China (PRC) (China) Product Quality Law
Article 49 provides that:
Production and sale of products that do not meet the national standards and industry standards for protecting human health and personal and property safety shall be ordered to stop production and sale, and the illegally produced and sold products (including sold and unsold products, the same below) shall be confiscated, and a fine of less than three times the value of the goods shall be imposed; Illegal income, confiscate the illegal income; If the circumstances are serious, the business license shall be revoked; If a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be investigated according to law.