London Borough of Brent will investigate complaints about food businesses and food purchased within Brent that poses a public health risk.
What we will investigate:
- pest infestation
- poor food hygiene
- food poisoning
- allergy offences
- food fraud
- food contamination
- poor food labelling
What we don't deal with:
- any products purchased outside of Brent
- compensation or a refunds
- claims for personal injury - speak to the trader directly; appoint a solicitor or contact Citizens Advice consumer service
- prices, customer service or weights and measures - contact Brent and Harrow Trading Standards
- allegations of illegal immigrants working in food shops - visit the Home Office website.
- complaints that are not an offence or risk to public health
Common complaints we will not investigate
The cases below are not an offence or a risk to public health. If you have this type of complaint you should take product back to the supplier or retailer.
| Type of Food | Type of Complaint | Risk to Public health |
|---|---|---|
| Food Labelled with “Best Before (end) date” | Sold beyond their “Best Before (End) Date” (see food labelling) | Not an Offence/No Risk |
| Tinned Fish | Hard crystals known as 'Struvite' can form in fish and can be mistaken for glass. They are broken down in your stomach and are not harmful. Struvite will dissolve in heated vinegar or lemon juice within 30 mins. | No risk |
| Dried foods (flour, pasta, sugar, pulses.) | Beetles, weevils and moths can infest dry products. They are harmless. Clean your shelves and thrown food away into external bins, | No risk |
| Chocolate | A white 'bloom' may develop if stored at high temperatures. This is fat separation and not mould and is not harmful. | No risk |
| Tinned Fruit and vegetables | Insects, grubs, wasps, fruit flies are inherent to the growing environment and may be harvested but are killed by the canning process | No risk |
| Fresh Fruit and vegetables | Soil, small stones, slugs are inherent to the growing environment and can adhere to fruit and vegetables. | No risk - wash the fruit and vegetables |
| Fresh Fruit and Vegetables | Overripe fruit and vegetables. | No risk |
| Fresh Salad vegetables | Greenfly found on salad leaves is not harmful and can be washed off. | No risk |
| Bread and cakes | Small lumps of overcooked/burnt dough can be found in bread or cakes. Can be mistaken for rodent droppings. | No risk |
| Bread and cakes | Bread making machinery uses vegetable oils to lubricate parts of the equipment, which can sometimes fall into the dough giving areas of grey/greasy appearance. | No risk |
Before you report
You should contact the supplier or retailer first. It's best to do this in writing, so they can investigate and fix the problem. If the trader doesn't help or the matter is serious, then please contact us.
Please check if the location of the food place is within the London Borough of Brent using the local council online search before contacting us.
Please read our food poisoning page before reporting a food poisoning complaint.
What you will need to do
- Provide full name and address of the food business in Brent where you purchase the food
- Provide original packaging and a receipt of purchase
- If the product is perishable you may need to freeze as soon as possible
- Leave the product in the state in which you found it e.g. foreign objects still in the food
- Provide details of the complaint and sign a consent form
If we require the food we will not be able to return it to you.
Report a concern about food safety
Online: Report an unsafe/unhygienic food place
Address: Food Safety Team, Regulatory Services, Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley HA9 0FJ
What happens next
The council will make the decision most appropriate to either warn, caution, take further legal action or take no further action.
In the event of prosecution, we will require a written Statement of Witness from you. You will be informed of this decision as soon as possible.