America's largest pharmacy chain CVS/Pharmacy is being sued by Connecticut Officials over allegations that the chain has been selling food and various over-the-counter drugs which have been way past their expiration dates in many of its Connecticut based stores.

More details on the allegation have been provided by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr., who shared that investigators looking into the matter discovered cough and allergy medicines, dairy items, baby formula and various other products which had been over their expiry date in the pharmacy's various stores over 2008 and 2009.

The lawsuit slapped on the pharmacy chain has been filed in Hartford Superior Court, and seeks "unspecified financial penalties under state consumer protection laws".

In its defense, CVS has said that it is very specific about doing away with products which are past their expiry date. Spokeswoman for Woonsocket, R. I. based CVS, Joanne Dwyer has stressed that the chain has clear policies about immediate removal of expired items from all its stores. "Unintentional deviations", she stressed, are "quickly rectified when they are discovered".