Food complaints

Food Safety team

Our Food Safety team work within the Environmental Health and Trading Standards Departments. We deal with food safety complaints that pose a public health risk.

Compensation claims are not our responsibility. They are a civil matter that you need take up with the manufacturer.

Make a food complaint

Contact us about:

• food that is not safe to eat or makes you ill
• food that is contaminated and can't be eaten, such as a mouldy pie
• food that contains a foreign object, such as a fragment of glass in a loaf of bread
• chemical contamination of food and improper use of additives
• composition of food such as sausages containing less than the minimum percentage of meat
• adulteration of foods
• labelling offences and misleading claims
• quality and nature of food such as pollock being sold as cod

We will take action if there is:

• a public health risk
• a good chain of evidence such as where the food was bought or any relevant packaging
• evidence that the company concerned has not taken all reasonable steps to prevent the problem

Any formal action must also comply with our Enforcement Policy.

Report a food safety concern

Minor complaints

Sometimes it's better to report minor problems directly to a shop, manufacturer or supplier directly.

For example:

• if you are not fully satisfied with product and want your money back
• when your complaint isn't serious such as finding part of a pea pod in a can of peas, or a flat carbonated drink

Useful tips

Do:

• keep receipts
• note down the name and address of where you bought the food
• keep the food in the wrapper and container
• keep perishable food in the fridge, especially if your complaint involves decomposition or 'off' smells and tastes
• read and follow labels for best before and use by dates

Do not:

• be tempted to handle or pull out any foreign objects found in the food – leave it in place
• put the food in a place where further deterioration or contamination could take place - keep it in the fridge, but separate from other foods
• don’t throw away any of the food or packaging