Food complaints
The Commercial Safety Team investigates complaints made about food
purchases and food premises. On average the section receives 100
complaints about food premises a year and 60 food complaints.
The outcome and length of time it takes to investigate a complaint
will depend on the circumstances. We will keep you informed of any
information we receive and action taken if appropriate. If any
legal action is taken then this may involve you giving a witness
statement and giving evidence in court. We do not investigate all
complaints. Some are dealt with by Trading Standards (see
below).
Complaints about hygiene in food premises
If you have consumed food or drink at a food premises in West
Lancashire - like a cafe, restaurant, takeaway - and experienced
poor food hygiene practices, then we can investigate the matter on
your behalf. You can complain by:
> Filling in a
Food Premises Complaint Online Form
>
Completing a Food Premises Complaint
Form and posting it to us
> Calling 01695 585242
Complaints about food purchases
If you have purchased a food item in West Lancashire and consider
it to be unsafe, then we will need to see the food to establish
whether there is a problem that we can investigate.
We can deal with:
- Food which has caused food poisoning or has become
contaminated
- Food containing foreign bodies e.g. glass, metal, wood, insects
etc
- Mouldy food
- Food that is past its 'use-by' date
We can't deal with:
- Food purchased outside the district
- Complaints about food quality e.g. over ripe vegetables and
fruits
- False descriptions or inappropriate labelling of food and
drink. These are dealt with by Lancashire County Council's
Trading Standards
(external link)
- Any claims for compensation or refunds. This is a matter
between the purchaser and the manufacturer
- Food which is past its 'best before' date. It is not illegal to
sell food after it's best before date. Best before means that the
manufacturer guarantees that the food will be of best quality up
until that date.
What to do when you discover a problem with food or
drink
- Keep possession of the food and keep any receipts, labels and
packaging materials
- Complete a
Food Purchases Complaint online form or contact us on
01695 585242
- Try to preserve the food or drink in its original condition.
Store perishable foods in the fridge or freezer until it is
collected by us or until you can bring it to the Council
Offices
- If you are complaining about mould then place the food in the
freezer, particularly if it is at the weekend
Food complaints outside the district
If the item wasn't bought in the West Lancashire area and you
aren't sure which authority to contact, use the Food
Standards Agency (external link) website, which lets you type
in a street name, place name or postcode to find contact details
for the relevant Environmental Health team.
Related Information
> The
Food Safety team
> Food
safety information