Food safety - Submit a consumer complaint

You must submit your consumer complaint to the competent body in person, in writing or by telephone.

You can usually also submit the consumer complaint anonymously. You can agree on confidentiality with the food control authority.

The competent body records the consumer complaint. A food inspector will then carry out an inspection in the establishment where you bought the product. She or he will try to take a comparison sample from the same batch. If no comparison sample is available there, the food inspector will look for a suitable comparison sample in another shop. If necessary, the test will be carried out without a reference sample.

The competent authority will also record any information about establishments where hygiene deficiencies are observed. In these cases, too,a food inspector will then inspectthe establishment concerned and, if necessary, take various suspect samples.

The competent body sends the complaint and comparison samples or the suspect samples taken during a factory inspection to the competent Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office. The latter analyses the sample and draws up an expert opinion on the basis of food law.

If necessary, the food control authority responsible for the manufacturer or seller will take further measures on the basis of the opinion. For example, it can

• take further samples,
• carry out further investigations at the business
• initiate a fine or criminal proceedings, or
• in the case of serious hygiene deficiencies, (temporarily) close the business.

If the offending product may cause harm to the health of other consumers, the food control authority will immediately initiate appropriate measures to prevent this. These may be, for example

• a ban on the circulation of the product,
• a withdrawal of the affected products or batches,
• a public recall from consumers, or
• a Europe-wide information of the other authorities.