Make a food complaint
We will investigate food that is sold in our District and:
- may have caused food poisoning
- is contaminated with foreign objects like glass and hair, or with chemicals
- is unfit to eat
To make a food complaint you will need:
- your name, address and contact details
- details of where you bought the food
- the name and address of the business you bought the food from
We do not investigate anonymous complaints, so need your details to pursue any reported incidents.
Once we receive your complaint, we carry out investigation.
Essex County Council Trading Standards will investigate food which is mislabelled or sold after the use by date.
Our investigation
We only investigate complaints about food quality. We do not investigate mis-selling or pricing complaints.
Our investigation depends on:
- how serious the details of the complaint are
- our previous knowledge of similar complaints
We will not be able to get you a refund for your food.
Our investigation can range from visual identification of a foreign object to an in-depth analysis of the food.
Sometimes what initially seems to be something unhygienic like mouse droppings in white bread, turns out to be something quite safe such as a small amount of granary bread dough baked into the white loaf. Where this is the case, we will stop our investigation and tell you to return the food to the shop.
