Is it illegal to eat food in a supermarket before paying for it? The truth about parents’ common distraction technique
WE’VE all been there, walking around the supermarket and giving your little one a little snack from the shelves before actually paying for it.
Maybe you’ve even done it yourself with a bottle of water or nibbled on a the end of baguette that looked too good to wait for.
It’s a technique parents love for those stressful shopping trips – but are you really allowed to do it?
You might be surprised to find out could technically be breaking the law.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Criminal Law expert Rachel Adamson explained grazing on food and drink you haven’t yet bought but plan to is still considered illegal under section six of the Theft Act 1968.
This is to do with the “intention of permanently depriving the other of it.”
The section states that “A person appropriating property belonging to another without meaning the other permanently to lose the thing itself is nevertheless to be regarded as having the intention of permanently depriving the other of it if his intention is to treat the thing as his own to dispose of regardless of the other’s rights; and a borrowing or lending of it may amount to so treating it if, but only if, the borrowing or lending is for a period and in circumstances making it equivalent to an outright taking or disposal.’
What this basically means is that even thought you planned on paying for the grub, because you hadn’t paid for it before tucking in you took something that didn’t belong to you.
Yes, that essentially means you stole it.
This is because ownership of the item isn’t actually transferred to you until you’ve paid for it at the till.
“Only when that sale is complete do you have the legal right to consume or use it,” Rachel said.
“If you eat the chocolate before you legally own it, you are permanently depriving the owner of his right to the product – he can no longer refuse you the sale or take the item off the shelves.”
You might be lucky enough to find that some supermarkets don’t consider having a little snack before paying an offence, but it’s at their own discretion.
If the supermarket does consider it an offence it’s triable and has a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and/or an unlimited fine, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Many people have been left divided on the topic on social media, this comes after one mum was shamed for letting her son eat a pouch of baby food she was buying as they browsed the aisles.
Posting on TikTok, the mum, who is called Samantha Mary, said she didn’t think it would be a problem, since she had every intention of paying for it.
But some people thought she was in the wrong.
” 100% her job to let you know you’re NOT allowed to eat or drink anything before you’ve paid for it. I use to work at Tesco and you are the worst,” one person commented.
And a second said: “I agree with Tesco on this one. Especially if you’re not carrying cash… if your card declines and you can’t pay it’s definitely theft. Pay then eat.”
MORE LAWS YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BREAKING
SKIDDING ON ICE: You are not allowed to slide on snow or ice in London.
The rule applies to frozen surfaces in “any roadway or other thoroughfare”, according to the Metropolitan Police Act of 1989.
If you dare partake in the prohibited activity, you’re not just posing a “common hazard” to other Londoners.
Incredibly, you could also land yourself with a fine of up to £500, so it’s probably best to not take yourself for a slide,
Hauling planks of wood down a street is another activity that is technically illegal.
CARRYING WOOD: Carrying timber on the pavement, unless being loaded or unloaded from a vehicle, is banned.
The law under the same Met Cops’ act from 1839 dates back to the Middle Ages when carts were regularly overloaded and folk were at risk of falling wood.
DING DONG DITCH: Also known as ringing doorbells and running away, the irritating prank often played by youngsters is also illegal.
Section 54 of the Metropolitan Police Act 1839 applies to anyone “wilfully and wantonly” disturbing any inhabitant by ringing doorbells or knocking “without lawful excuse”.