Crest
Isle of Man Government
Reiltys Ellan Vannin
Isle of Man Government Crest

DLGE

Isle of Man Government, Department of the Local Government and The Environment
Department of Local Government and the EnvironmentReynn reiltys Ynnydagh as y Chymmyltaght
You are here: www.gov.im - DLGE - Environment, Safety and Health - Food Safety Unit - Food - Complaints

Food

Food Complaints

Types of food complaint

There are 3 main areas of complaint:

  • Foreign Objects;
  • Foods Causing Illness; and
  • Labelling

Foreign Objects

Foreign objects are things that have found their way into food that shouldn’t be there. Complaints that fall into this category range from insects to nuts and bolts coming off machinery during the food’s manufacture.

Foods Causing Illness

Beware……it is not always what you think!

We receive many complaints alleging that a certain food has caused illness. The food being blamed will almost always be the last thing the person ate before becoming ill. However, most food poisoning bacteria do not cause illness until 12 to 36 hours after they have entered the body. This means it will hardly ever be what you ate last that made you ill, but rather what you ate yesterday or even the day before.

We may ask you to send a stool specimen to the Nobles Hospital Pathology Department in order for us to try and find out what caused your illness. This will help us find out whether your illness was caused by food and if so, pinpoint exactly which food was to blame. By helping in this way you may prevent others being infected by the same bacteria. Firstly we can see to it that affected food is removed from sale. Secondly, once we know the nature of your illness, we can give you advice on how to stop it spreading to your friends and family.

Further information on food poisoning and other infectious diseases is available.

Labelling

Most pre-packed foods need to carry a date of minimum durability. Normally this is a Best Before date - the date before which the food should remain in its best condition i.e. it will not be stale.

Highly perishable foods should have a Use By date on the packaging, giving the date by which the food may be used safely. Foods that have Use By dates must be removed from sale once that date has passed.

Making a Complaint

Below are details of the service you should receive from us when making a complaint about food :

By Telephone

If you make your complaint to the Food Safety Unit by telephone we will arrange a time for us to either collect the specimen if you are unable to bring it into the office, or for you to see an Officer at Murray House. This will normally be the same day or the next working day. For information visit the contacts page

Map showing the location of Murray House.

In Writing

If you wish to complain in writing, please remember to include a daytime telephone number so that we may contact you to arrange a time for us to either collect the specimen or for you to see an officer at Murray House.

What happens after you hand the food over to us?

You should be given:

  • a complaint form to sign;
  • the name and contact number of the Officer who will deal with your complaint; and
  • an explanation of what will happen next and what to expect.

If you bring the food into Murray House without making an appointment it may not always be possible to see an Officer straight away. In such cases the details will be taken by one of our administrative staff. You will then be advised as soon as possible, either by phone or in writing, of the Officer dealing with your complaint.

Please remember, for us to deal with your complaint you must either live or have bought food in the Isle of Man. For any further information regarding complaints, please contact the Food Safety Unit on 01624 685894.