How to make a complaint about food - advice on when you should complain directly to the company that sold you the food, and when you should contact Environmental Health or Trading Standards.
Foreign objects in food are a common complaint, but not all pose a health risk.
For more information, see Advice about Common Food Complaints, covering what you should do about problems with tinned foods, fish, vegetables and fruit, chocolate and confectionery, bakery goods, dried foods and meat.
This advice can also be downloaded as a leaflet in PDF format below.
When Should You Complain to the Shop or Manufacturer?
For relatively minor problems it is best to complain directly to the company that sold you the food, without involving Environmental Health or Trading Standards.
Instances where it is appropriate to contact the shop directly are as follows:
If you are not fully satisfied with the product and you merely want your money back. Most large supermarket chains have an efficient quality control and complaint procedure to enable customers to return an unsatisfactory food complaint and obtain a refund. The supermarkets log these complaints and refer them to their suppliers, who can identify trends resulting in remedial action
The complaint is not of a serious nature - for example a part of a pea pod in a can of peas, or a ’flat’ carbonated drink
Food Alerts and Product Recalls
If a manufacturer, retailer or distributor issues a product withdrawal or recall, you should return items direct to them for a refund. The latest product recalls can be viewed on the Trading Standards website.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issues Food Alerts to let consumers know about problems associated with food - you can view the latest alerts using the link from this page.
