Making a complaint about a registered premises

Making a Complaint

Loddon Shire Council's Public Health staff undertake regular assessments of premises registered with Council under the Food Act 1984, Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and Residential Tenancies Act 1987.

Complaints should be lodged with Council where you:

  1. believe a premises is operating in an unhygienic manner or has questionable practices.

  2. have suspected food poisoning.

  3. have found a foreign object in food that should not be there, for example a bug or a piece of wood, metal or plastic.

  4. find packaged foods without proper labelling.

  5. observe poor standards of accommodation and/or overcrowding in a boarding house, motel or caravan park within Loddon Shire.

  6. observe unhygienic conditions in shared facilities within a caravan park or hotel.

When lodging a complaint with Council you will need to provide:

  • your name, address and contact details

  • what you observed and when you observed it including the time.

  • the name and address of the business.

  • any other relevant details, for example a description of the person who served you if the complaint relates to food handling, a 3 day food history in the case of food poisoning.

All information provided is treated as confidential. Council’s Public Health staff will investigate your complaint and provide you with feedback. Please note that anonymous complaints are not accepted or investigated.

Food poisoning

If you believe that you are suffering from food poisoning the following advice is provided:

  • Keep any remaining food including packaging; ensure that it is refrigerated below 5o C.

  • If you have symptoms of food poisoning such as vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, request your doctor takes a faecal (poo) sample. Tests on the sample can help show what made you sick and helps investigations into the source of what made you sick.

Complaints about business outside Loddon Shire

Council is only responsible for businesses within Loddon Shire.

To lodge a complaint for a business outside of Loddon Shire you will need to contact the relevant council.

Food complaints when products are made outside of Loddon Shire

Council can only investigate food complaints for food made or bought in Loddon Shire.

If Council’s investigation shows the food was made at a food business outside Loddon Shire, Council will contact you.

If you agree, Council will pass on the complaint to the relevant council or health authority.

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