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Food complaints

To make a complaint about food bought in the borough, please contact us using the details below.

Food Safety Team
Public Protection & Safety Division
Environment Services Department
Hammersmith & Fulham Council
5th Floor, Town Hall Extension
King Street
Hammersmith
London 
W6 9JU

Telephone: 020 8753 1081
Fax: 020 8753 3922
Email: environment@lbhf.gov.uk

Food Complaint Investigations
Once a complaint has been made to us we will begin a series of investigations:

  • The investigating officer will make a preliminary assessment of the seriousness of the matter, including whether an offence has occurred. 
  • The investigating officer will contact you to discuss your complaint as soon as possible. 
  • The premises that sold you the food may be visited and inspected. 
  • A laboratory examination may be carried out, which can take several weeks. 
  • The manufacturer may be contacted and may need to be visited. We may contact other environmental health departments for information about the company involved. 
  • Where complaints involve foreign products, the investigation may take longer.  

The length of time it takes to complete an investigation will vary according to each case, and may be several months.

Action Taken on Food Complaints

Our main aim is to ensure that the public is protected from the possibility of any similar complaints in the future. Once we have received all reports about the food complaint, we will make a decision to take informal or formal action.

Informal action usually involves a written or verbal warning. This action will be taken when:

  • it appears to be an isolated incident, involving an otherwise satisfactory company
  • the company can show that they have taken all reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of similar complaints (legally known as a defence of 'due diligence')
  • we have insufficient evidence to prove a case in court.  

Formal action involves formally cautioning the company or prosecuting it in court. In the case of prosecution you must be willing to give evidence of:

  • where and when you bought the food
  • when and how it was stored in your home
  • how you discovered the fault.  

In some cases, you may be asked to attend court as a witness but often evidence can be given in the form of a written and signed statement. It will be necessary to release your name to the company if we take legal proceedings.

Food Complaint Compensation

It is not in the council’s powers to get compensation for customers. If you want to pursue this you should contact a solicitor. Most companies are keen to maintain good customer relations and will normally offer some compensation; at least to the value of the food.

Food Complaints: Do’s and Don'ts 

Do:

  • keep receipts (not essential but helpful)    
  • keep the food in the wrapper (if possible) and put it in an air-tight container 
  • keep perishable food under temperature control (i.e. refrigerated or frozen) especially if your complaint involves decomposition or off smells and tastes 
  • read the label for ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use By’ dates, and instructions for use – if you use food that is out of date, or in a different manner than that required by the manufacturers instructions you can expect problems 
  • contact the Food Safety Team if you are unhappy with the response from the manufacturer and you think your complaint posed a public health risk.      

Don't:

  • be tempted to handle or pull out any ‘foreign object’ found in the food, leave it in place   
  • put the food in a place where further deterioration or contamination could take place (e.g. near other foods)
  • throw away any of the food or packaging.  

Common Food Complaints
Foreign objects in food are a common complaint but not all pose a risk to health. Common food complaints are listed below with an explanation of their usual origin and suggestions of what to do about them. For further advice, please contact the Food Safety Team using the details at the top of this page.

Baked Goods
Bakery Char: Bread and cakes sometimes contain bits of overcooked dough which has flaked off bakery tins. This is not necessarily an indicator of poor hygiene, although it maybe mistaken for rodent droppings, which are black and a regular torpedo shape. Bakery char is greyish and comes in uneven shapes. 
What to do: This is not a public health risk – contact the manufacturer or retailer. 
Carbonised Grease: The machinery used to produce bread and cakes is lubricated with a non-toxic vegetable oil. Occasionally some of this oil gets into dough giving areas of the product a grey/greasy or marbled appearance.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – contact the manufacturer.

Dried Foods
Insects: Dried products such as flour, sugar and pulses may contain small, grey insects called psocids (book lice). They do not carry disease, but they eat through the paper of the packet. They breed quickly in warm, dark, humid conditions, and spread into uncontaminated food very quickly.
What to do: This is not a public health risk - throw out all affected food, clean cupboards with a solution of bleach and dry thoroughly. Store dried goods in airtight containers. 
Chocolate/Confectionery Bloom: Chocolate may develop a light coloured bloom if stored at too high a temperature. It is not mould, it forms because of fat separation. It is not harmful. 
What to do: This is not a public health risk – return to the retailer.
Crystals: Large crystals can form in confectionery, which can be mistaken for glass. The crystals will dissolve in warm water. What to do: This is not a public health risk – return to the retailer.

Tinned Foods 
Insects: Occasionally small grubs may be found in canned vegetables such as sweetcorn and tomatoes. The grubs are in fact the larvae of a moth. They live inside the kernel/tomato so are impossible to see before the food is canned. They are killed and sterilised by the canning process. As the use of pesticides decreases, the number of these pests found in canned vegetables increases.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – contact the manufacturer.
Wasps and Fruit Flies: These are common in tins of fruit.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – contact the manufacturer.
Struvite: Certain naturally occurring elements in fish may develop into hard crystals during the canning process. These crystals may be mistaken for glass fragments and are called struvite. It is not harmful and will be broken down by stomach acids if swallowed. It is especially common in tinned salmon. Struvite crystals will be dissolved if placed in vinegar and gently heated.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – contact the manufacturer.
Mould: Dented damaged or incorrectly processed tins may allow mould growth to occur. This could indicate an error in production or storage.
What to do: This is possibly a public health risk, please contact the Food Safety Team using the details at the top of this page.

Fish 
Luminous Marine Bacteria: Bacteria which glows can sometimes be found on seafood, most often on crabmeat, cooked shrimp and simulated seafood products made from surimi. This suggests that the seafood was held for a time at a temperature that allowed these bacteria to grow. It does not mean the seafood is unsafe or of low quality. There are no reports of illness from luminous marine bacteria growing on seafood.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – return to the retailer or manufacturer.
Codworm: The flesh of white fish such as cod or haddock may be infested with a small, round, brownish-yellow worm. They are killed by cooking and are harmless to humans. The affected parts of the fish are usually cut away during processing, but some may be overlooked. 
What to do: This is not a public health risk – contact the manufacturer.

Meat
Skin, Bone, etc: Products made from meat and/or poultry may contain small bones, skin or parts of blood vessels. These are unsightly but rarely a health hazard as they are normal parts of the original animal.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – contact the manufacturer. 
Vegetables and Fruit Stones, Soil and Slugs: Fruit and vegetables commonly have soil, stones or small slugs on them. This is quite normal.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – wash all fruit and vegetables before use.
Greenfly: Salad vegetables such as lettuce may have greenfly attached. This is becoming increasingly common as the use of pesticides decreases. Greenfly are difficult to wash off but are not harmful, in fact, they show that the salad is fresh.
What to do: This is not a public health risk – no action required. 
Mould: Mould will naturally grow on fruit and vegetables when they become damaged and bruised. You can reduce the chance of this by checking for damage before buying and not over-handling the fruit and vegetables.