Report a food product issue

Before you make a complaint

Before reporting an issue, please take a look at some common food complaints we receive which do not pose a health risk, along with our suggested course of action:

Food complaints policy

Download this document: Food complaints policy (PDF: 180 KB)

This policy outlines the criteria for which we will investigate food premises and a list of common food complaints that we do not investigate with suggestions for the most suitable course of action.

First published: 3/05/2023

We cannot get a refund for your food or seek compensation on your behalf. Instead, we suggest you:

return the food to the shop, speak to the manager and ask for a refund
contact the manufacturer and ask them to investigate - their contact details should be on the package

If you want to claim compensation we recommend you seek legal advice or contact Citizen’s Advice Liverpool.

When we investigate

We only investigate a food complaint if the food product:

has caused injury or has the potential to cause injury to a person
is unfit and forms part of a larger batch or consignment
will impact people on a local, regional and national basis
provides enough evidence to take formal action - for example, if we can prove a foreign body was in the food when you bought it.

Make a complaint

If your food complaint presents a serious health risk and meets the ‘When we investigate’ criteria above, you should:

keep the food, wrapping, labels and receipt safe
store perishable foods in the fridge or freezer
keep the food in its original container, where possible

You must also be prepared to give a witness statement and attend court if we do decide to commence legal proceedings.

To complain online using the button below, you will need to create an account. Once you have logged in you will need to use the 'Request' option to report your issue.

Make a food complaint online

Read our privacy notice which tells you how we use your data.

What happens next?

If we think we have grounds to investigate, we will get in touch with you.

If we do not contact you within seven working days we have chosen not to investigate your complaint and you can dispose of the food item or take your own civil action.

Further help and advice

If you need further help, please contact us using the button below. You will need to create an account, log in and use the 'Request' option to submit your question.

Make a food hygiene enquiry