Food complaints

We inspect all food businesses and give them a rating, based on their food hygiene:

• 5 is rated as ‘very good’
• 4 is rated as ‘good’
• 3 is rated as ‘generally satisfactory’
• 2 is rated as ‘improvement necessary’
• 1 is rated as ‘major improvement necessary’
• 0 is rated as ‘urgent improvement necessary’

The Food Standards Agency publishes hygiene ratings.

Search for a food hygiene rating

Make a complaint

We can investigate:

• unfit or grossly contaminated food
• foods containing foreign bodies, for example metal or glass
• complaints about hygiene standards at a food premises
• foods which may have caused food poisoning
• foods which have passed their 'use by date'

Email: environmental.health@woking.gov.uk 

Information you need to provide

Please include:

• the full name of the food including any brand name
• a receipt, if possible
• the manufacturer's name and address
• the batch number and/or durability date
• where the food was bought, the name and address of the business
• the date when the food was bought
• when the defect was noticed
• details of the defect
• if you will be handing the food in to us or if you want it to be collected
• if you have any objections to your name being released to the manufacturer

How to resolve a complaint yourself

If your food hygiene complaint is not a risk to public health or safety, you may want to contact the owner of the food business yourself to discuss the complaint with them. 

They may offer you a refund and/or carry out their own internal investigation.

Return the food to the shop, together with the packaging and receipt and ask to speak to the person in charge. In some cases, you may need to write or telephone the manufacturer.

Explain the nature of your complaint and ask them to investigate it. Ask them to write to you with their explanations of how the problem arose.