Dealing with Food Complaints

We deal with food complaints relating to food bought in this Council area. 

These complaints can include:

• Something strange found in your food
• Bad taste or smell
• Poor handling of food by shop staff
• Dirty food premises
• Suspected food poisoning after eating from a food business

What to do if you have a food complaint

• Do not remove anything from the food or its packaging
• Try to handle the food as little as possible
• Keep all packaging and receipts
• Contact the Environmental Health Department as soon as you can
• Store the food away from other foods, ideally in a fridge or cool place

When you contact us, we’ll ask for details such as:

• Where and when you bought the food
• What happened
• If you or anyone else became ill

What we will do

When we get your complaint, we will:

• Keep your information private
• Photograph, label, and safely store the food
• Contact the business involved
• Sometimes invite a company representative to visit our offices
• Send the food to a lab if it needs to be tested
• Let you know when the investigation is finished

Possible outcomes

Depending on what we find, the action taken may be:

• Giving advice to the business
• A verbal or written warning
• A formal caution
• Legal action

The officer dealing with your complaint will update you throughout the process. Before closing the case, they may ask if you’re happy for your details to be shared with the company.

Please note: We cannot help you claim compensation from a business. If you want to do this, you should seek advice from a solicitor.

Contact Details

Email: ehealth@nmandd.org

Telephone: 0330 137 4024