Quick answer
Report a food-safety or hygiene concern to the relevant local authority food-safety team, giving the business details, what happened and when. Scotland has a separate Food Standards Scotland signposting service. Seek appropriate health advice if you are unwell: reporting a food complaint does not provide medical assessment, prove the cause or automatically secure compensation.
Choose the service that can address the concern
The GOV.UK food-safety team finder covers suspected food poisoning, foreign objects, poor hygiene, food sold past its use-by date and incorrect allergen information. Food Standards Scotland directs Scottish food-safety complaints to the relevant local authority.
Use the official live route rather than sending health or purchase details to an unrelated course provider. NFS does not investigate complaints about other food businesses.
Separate reporting, care and customer-service issues
| Concern | Appropriate next step |
|---|---|
| Food safety or poor hygiene | Contact the relevant local authority food-safety team. |
| Suspected food-related illness | Use the hygiene-reporting route and seek appropriate medical advice separately. |
| Misleading label or food standards | Follow the official national/local signposting for that issue. |
| Price, service or a refund | Use the business’s customer-service route and appropriate consumer advice. |
| A business discovers unsafe food it supplied | Follow the business-incident procedure rather than the consumer complaint route. |
If there is an immediate health concern, use the appropriate health service. NHS advice explains when medical help is needed; this guide does not assess symptoms.
Prepare a clear factual account
- The business’s name, address and relevant delivery or order details.
- What food or issue was involved, with dates and times.
- Packaging, product, batch and date-label details where available.
- Receipts, order confirmations or photographs.
- What happened after purchase, including relevant storage.
- Your contact details and any information the authority requests.
Describe what you observed and what is suspected without presenting an unconfirmed cause as established fact.
Keep evidence safely and ask what the authority needs
An official council example asks people, where possible, to keep the food in its original container, retain receipts and provide photographs. Contact the relevant authority promptly for instructions about any remaining food or foreign object.
Do not taste suspect food, change its condition unnecessarily or expose other food to it. Keep it clearly separate and follow safe storage and the authority’s instructions. Do not send a sample without arranging it.
Worked example: a delivered meal and a damaged pack
Hypothetical example: a customer notices damaged packaging after a meal arrives. They keep the order details, photograph the pack and contact the appropriate food-safety team with the delivery and business information.
They report any illness factually and obtain health advice separately. Asking only for a refund may not bring a potential safety issue to the authority’s attention.
What reporting can and cannot establish
The authority decides what investigation or action is appropriate and may request more information. It may not be possible to establish the cause of a complaint. A report does not guarantee a prosecution, inspection, response deadline or compensation.
Food businesses receiving an allegation should preserve relevant information and follow their incident procedure. Official incident guidance explains the distinct business responsibilities.
Next steps
Use the official reporting service for the nation and location involved. Keep your account factual and seek medical advice separately when needed.
Find the appropriate food-safety team — Use the current official local route; Scottish readers can also use FSS signposting.