Food safety report a problem

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.

Suspected Food Poisoning:

If you believe you have food poisoning, then you must submit a stool sample with your GP who can then confirm if you are suffering from food poisoning.

We still ask that you inform us about your suspected food poisoning via email to public.health@sunderland.gov.uk including the following information:

Please make the subject of the email: Suspected Food Poisoning

• Your name, address and contact details.
• What you ate before falling ill?
• The date you ate the food?
• The name and address of the business you purchased the food from?
• What are your symptoms?
• When did your symptoms start?

It must be stressed that failure to provide faecal samples means that purposeful investigation cannot be carried out and your complaint will be kept on file to be used for prioritisation of food premises inspections.

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.

Please report this via email to public.health@sunderland.gov.uk including the following information:

Please make the subject of the email: Food hygiene complaint

• Your name, address, phone number and email address. Without this information we may not be able to pursue the complaint.
• The name and address of the business.
• The date and time you witnessed poor food hygiene.
• A description of what you witnessed.

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

We ask that you keep the item in your possession, preferably frozen, in case inspection or testing is necessary. Please also keep any packaging that the product was provided in, as well as any receipts or order confirmation. We may ask you to bring the food item to our office or visit you at home. Please be aware that some food complaints can be complex and take time to investigate.

Prior to reporting an issue with a food product, please read the Advice for consumers on common food complaints and follow any advice given.

Please report this via email to public.health@sunderland.gov.uk including the following information:

Please make the subject of the email: Food product complaint.

• Your name, address, phone number and email address. Without this information we may not be able to pursue the complaint.
• The name and address of the business you purchased the food from?
• The product name and brand?
• Batch codes, a barcode, use by/best before date, or health marks?
• Please provide images of the product and receipts where possible.

Unregistered food business

If you wish to report a business that you believe is not registered with the Food Standards Agency, please report this via email to public.health@sunderland.gov.uk including the following information:

Please make the subject of the email: Unregistered food business.

• Your name, address, phone number and email address. Without this information we may not be able to pursue the complaint.
• The name, address and any contact information you have for the business.
• If known, the opening times of the business.
• If known, any links to the business website or social media.