Food Complaints

Council may investigate any complaints relating to food that is within our delegations. Common types of complaints received and investigated by Council are:

• Illnesses believed to be caused by eating food
• Foreign matter found in food
• Unhygienic practices observed e.g. foods not handled, stored or processed in accordance with legislation
• Unclean premises
• Business trading without appropriate development consent, approvals or notification

Food that causes food poisoning can still look, smell and taste fine. Symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, fever and chills, diarrhoea, nausea, bloody stools, abdominal pain, headache, lethargy and loss of appetite.

The time between consumption of the food and the appearance of the first symptoms may be as short as one hour or as long as a week or more. This means it is very important to remember that the last meal you ate is not necessarily the culprit.

For further information on food poisoning see NSW Food Authority.

Information Required for Food Complaints

When placing a complaint the following can help Council’s Officers investigate the matter:

• Details on the date, time and place of purchase of the product
• Premises details
• Information of how it was stored prior to consumption e.g. how it was transported home, kept in refrigerator etc.
• Any relevant photos of the food (especially if the complaint relates to a foreign matter or food quality)
• If you suspect food poisoning, what has been eaten in the last seven days and the types of symptoms you experienced. It is very important that you consult your doctor if you suspect you have food poisoning as symptoms can sometimes be serious. The doctor may also take samples to help identify the source of the poisoning.
• Other information may be sort throughout the investigation