Complaints about food premises

We carry out inspections of food premises to ensure compliance with the Food Safety Act 1990, the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995, the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995 and other associated food safety legislation. This helps us identify risks from in the food business, to ensure that controls have been put in place to control risks and to provide advice about good food hygiene practices.

Complaints about food purchases

The Food Safety Act 1990 (link to this page) aims to ensure that consumers are protected in relation to the food they buy. Consumers expect that the food they buy is safe to eat, is of a good quality and is of the nature and substance as described on the packaging.

If food does not meet these criteria then consumers need to know how to complain. Some complaints can be dealt with by returning the food to the store where it was purchased from, some complaints however may need further investigation.

Complaints about food purchased in the district of Aylesbury Vale are investigated by Environmental Health Officers. Where food has been purchased outside the district we have no powers to investigate, however we will undertake to pass the details on to the correct authority.

Please note: we do not seek compensation for complainants. We do not have any influence over companies in relation to “goodwill gestures”. If you feel you may be entitled to compensation you should seek legal advice.

What to do if you discover a problem

Examples of some frequent food complaints include:

• Food sold past its “use by” date.
• Food containing foreign bodies e.g. pieces of metal, glass, plastic etc.
• Contaminated food e.g. with chemicals.
• Mouldy food.

If you find a problem with food, you should;

1. Keep possession of the food. It is your evidence of the complaint.
2. Contact the Environmental Health Team as soon as possible on 01296 585605. In most cases it is easier if you can bring the source of the complaint into our offices, however in some cases an officer will be able to collect the source of the complaint from your home. Please do not send food complaints to us in the post.
3. Keep any till receipts you may have or make a note of the time and date when you purchased the food.
4. retain any labels, codes or containers associated with the food, these are important to enable us to trace production dates and times etc.
5. try to preserve the complaint in its original condition e.g. if you can see something in a food product don’t remove it but leave it in place.
6. If a product is mouldy or you think it may be unfit place the item in a plastic bag or suitable container and freeze it as soon as you can, particularly if you are not able to get immediate advice e.g. at weekends. If you don’t have access to a freezer place the product in the fridge to slow down any further deterioration of the product.

The outcome and length of time it takes to investigate a complaint will depend on individual circumstances. Some investigations involve complex analysis and this may often take longer than you would expect. In any event we will keep you fully informed of what investigations have been made and the outcome.

Date Updated: 05/03/08