How to report a food safety or hygiene issue
Published 1 July 2018
Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales
© Crown copyright 2018
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-a-food-problem/how-to-report-a-food-safety-or-hygiene-issue
You can report a food problem in a restaurant, a food shop, a concern about an item purchased or with food ordered online to the local authority where the business is located. The local authority food safety team will consider the complaint and determine the most appropriate course of action.
Use this service to find contact details of the food safety team. You will have an option to email the team or use the local authority’s website to report your issue. Please make sure you enter the full UK postcode for the food business you wish to report, for example SW1H9EX. Addresses and partial postcodes will not be recognised.
0.1 What you can report
You can report:
- suspected food poisoning
- a foreign object found in your food
- dirty premises
- poor hand hygiene
- poor food handling
- food with visible signs of mould or decay
- food sold past its use-by date
- unavailable or incorrect allergen information
Important
Complaints about poor-quality food and poor customer service should be made directly to the business or the ordering platform. This includes:
- problems with payments and refunds
- late, incorrect or missing takeaway delivery
For advice about your consumer rights, see the Citizens Advice website.(Opens in a new window)