Report a food safety concern
The council's food team will normally only investigate food complaints if there is a serious health risk. In the circumstances outlined in advice for consumers on Common Food Complaints, it is recommended that you contact the company that sold you the food directly. A good business should listen to your concerns and try to address them even though it may not always be their fault. They may replace the food for you or give you your money back. If you are not happy with the company's response or have further concerns, then you should contact the council for advice.
We aim to respond to all requests for service within five working days.
Please do bear in mind that the department's policy regarding food complaints is to find out how the incident happened and, if possible, to prevent it happening again. The council is not able to pursue civil action (for refunds or otherwise) against the offending firm on behalf of the complainant. Such action is a private matter and must be pursued by you if you wish.
Please note we can only take action if you have provided the information we request. If you have not provided sufficient information, we will attempt to contact you. If we do not hear back from you within 7 days, we will close the complaint and store it on the premises file for future record.
We are unable to deal with the following:
- Poor quality service and/or food
- Overcharging or pricing issues
- Food beyond its best before date (this is a quality issue; food past its use by date is a safety issue and you should still report this as a 'Food Hygiene Complaint')
- Premises located outside the Sunderland City Council area. If you have a complaint about premises in another area, please contact that local authority
We are able to deal with the following:
- Suspected food poisoning
- Food hygiene - If you wish to report a food business with poor food hygiene, including dirty premises, pest infestations, food handling practice or unavailable or incorrect allergen information
- Food products - If you wish to report a food product that contains a foreign object, appears to be contaminated with chemicals, has been provided with visible signs of mould or decay
- Unregistered food business
You can report any of the above by using the online form
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