Food Complaints
If you have a complaint about food or a food business we may be able to investigate. Please be aware we cannot investigate all food complaints and that dealing with them yourself is often the best way to resolve an issue (- particularly if you have purchased from a major retailer or the brand is made by a well known manufacturer). If you are not sure then please contact us for advice on enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk or report the issue via the Food Standards Agency website Report a Food Problem.
If you live within Worcestershire, WRS will act as a first point of contact for complaints about food bought from food businesses outside the County.
All complaints will be recorded for information purposes, and if not initially investigated, may be at a later date if further similar complaints are received.
If there is a public health risk we will investigate complaints about:
- Dirty premises – all food businesses should be clean and hygienic
- Poor hygiene practices - staff should be trained to handle food safely and not contaminate it
- Unsafe food – food served should be safe to eat and free from mould or foreign bodies eg. glass, metal, plastic, hair, insects
- Food past its use by date – it is an offence for a retailer to sell, or a caterer to use food labelled with a past use by date, as it may no longer be safe to eat
- Incorrect allergen information
If you have issues with food quality, incorrect labelling or food not being correctly described please go to Worcestershire Trading Standards website.
We Cannot Help Where:
- There is no public health risk
- A complaint is made anonymously
- There is insufficient evidence to support an offence
- You no longer have the item you are complaining about (other than restaurant or takeaway meals)
- The business has already been asked to take action
- There is undue delay in reporting the problem
- You are seeking a refund, replacement or other compensation
- The complaint is about customer service
Further information:
Dealing with a complaint yourself
Generally you will find businesses are concerned when you have a problem and will try and resolve it.
BEFORE contacting us, we recommend:
Step 1 - You contact the business and explain your problem. Take the food with you or take a photograph and store original item according to packaging or in your fridge or freezer. This should be your first course of action particularly where large manufacturers or supermarkets are concerned.
Step 2 - Put your complaint in writing to the business. Keep a copy of letter or e-mail. Send photographs and retain and store original item as in Step 1. Send recorded delivery.
Contact enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk if you are not satisfied with the outcome, or if Steps 1 and 2 are not appropriate.
A member of the Environmental Health food team will be allocated the investigation. Whilst we cannot provide regular updates the officer will advise you of the outcome. Please note that some of the information we obtain may be commercially sensitive and cannot be shared. Investigations can take a few days or for complex issues may take much longer. All details of the investigation will be recorded on the case file.
You can log your complaint through the Food Standards Agency website Report a Food Problem or contact us on enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk .
We need to know:
- What you are complaining about (dirty premises, mould, glass, etc.)
- The name and address of the premises where the food was purchased or eaten
- The date and time the food was purchased or eaten (important when investigating possible food poisoning)
- Whether you still have the food available for examination or testing
- Your contact details so we can keep you updated
If you still have the food you should either store it safely as advised on its packaging, or refrigerate or freeze it as appropriate.