Our Food Safety Team will investigate complaints about food purchased from within the Caerphilly area. The level of investigation will depend on the nature of the complaint, the risk posed to health, the professional judgement of the investigating officer and previous knowledge of similar complaints.
Common problems are covered in our information documents below:
Food complaints (PDF 33kb)
Use by and best before dates explained (PDF 13kb)
Our Food Safety Team cannot arrange a refund for your food and it is your decision as to whether you pursue the food complaint through us or whether you return it to the place of purchase for the them to carry out the investigation.
If you allow us to investigate your complaint we will not be able to return the food to you.
An investigation may range from visual examination and identification of a foreign object to in-depth analysis of the food. Deciding whether the complaint requires further investigation is based on the risk to health and need for public protection.
For more serious complaints we may take court action in which case you may be required to give evidence in court.
How to make a complaint
If you wish to complain about food you have bought or about a food premises, you can report it to us online.
Alternatively, you can contact our Food Safety Team on 01495 235340 or email foodhealthandsafety@caerphilly.gov.uk.
When making your complaint you should:
- Retain the suspect food which has not been consumed or the foreign object itself in a covered container as they will be needed as evidence. If the food is perishable or your complaint is mould related, the food should be placed in a refrigerator or freezer until it is collected. This will help delay any further deterioration.
- Retain any packaging you may have as this will provide important information such as use-by dates and batch codes which will be needed for the investigation.
- Where possible, retain any receipts of purchase.