Complaints and suspected food poisoning

Treat every complaint as useful information. It may be the first sign of a problem. Have a simple procedure and a form, and make sure staff know who deals with complaints.

Be polite, listen and take the complaint seriously. Do not argue, and do not diagnose the illness. Do not say that your food caused it or that it could not have. Record the facts: who complained and how to contact them, what they ate and when, who else ate it, and any batch code or date mark.

If someone finds something in their food, keep the food and the object safe in a labelled container. Do not throw it away. Check the batch and any similar stock. Look at where the object could have come from, such as a broken blade, packaging or a supplier. Tell the supplier if it could be their product.

A report of illness does not prove that your food was the cause. Illness can come from elsewhere, and a person often blames their last meal, even though many pathogens take days to cause symptoms. But never dismiss a report. Record their symptoms, when they started and whether they have seen a doctor.

If there is reason to suspect your food, act straight away. Stop serving the suspect food. Keep what is left, separate and clearly marked, and do not throw it away. It may be needed for testing. Contact your local authority for advice. Gather your records: deliveries, storage temperatures, cooking and cooling records, who prepared the food, when it was served and staff sickness. Check whether any member of staff has been ill.

If several people are ill after the same meal or event, treat it as a possible outbreak and contact the local authority at once. It will work with public health teams to investigate.

Co-operate with the officers. They may take samples, look at records, speak to staff and ask ill staff for samples. If food may be unsafe, they can close the business. If this happens, do not reopen until the officer tells you that you can. Even if your food turns out not to be the cause, the investigation may show gaps that you must fix.

Here is an example. Three guests from a Saturday wedding phone on Monday with vomiting and diarrhoea. The caterer records the details and contacts the local authority. She gathers the menu, the cooking and cooling records and the staff rota, and keeps any food that is left. She does not throw the leftovers away to tidy up. She does not tell the guests that it must have been something else.

Afterwards, review what happened. Tell your team what you have learned, update your system, and tell the person who complained what you found.