Food Prosecution Register
Details of businesses or individuals that have been found guilty by a court of a breach of the Food Act
In South Australia, the food safety of food businesses such as supermarkets, fast-food outlets, cafés, restaurants, food trucks and food stalls, are looked after by local councils. If you have a complaint about a food business, contact the local council where the business is located and speak to an environmental health officer.
You can find the council's contact details by using the Local Government Association Council Finder.
If you suspect you have food poisoning please consult a doctor. In order to confirm your diagnosis the doctor will need to take a stool sample. If food poisoning infection (a notifiable disease) is confirmed, the doctor will report their findings to SA Health's Communicable Diseases Control Branch.
Even if you have been confirmed with a notifiable disease, you may not be contacted unless it is part of an outbreak investigation.
If you have concerns about possible food poisoning where multiple people have been affected you can contact the local council where the food business is located.
Butchers — PIRSA - Biosecurity SA
Dairy products — Dairysafe
Misleading labelling (not relating to food safety or health claims) — Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
Country of origin — Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
Poor customer service by food businesses — Consumer and Business Services
Product warranties — Consumer and Business Services
Safety of packaging (other than how it affects safety of the food), eg choking hazards, burn hazards - Consumer and Business Services
Liquor licensing — Consumer and Business Services
Weights and measures — National Measurement Institute
Waste, pollution, noise or local environment issues — Local councils
If in doubt contact the Food and Controlled Drugs Branch.
While most types of complaints are handled by the local council that the food business is located in, some complaints will be reviewed by SA Health. These include:
If you make a complaint with SA Health, it will be logged and considered carefully. We will investigate as appropriate, however we give priority to:
Please ensure you provide all relevant information about the issue:
You will be contacted within 10 days if further information about your complaint is needed or a food sample is required.
Food sample testing is often not required. However, if you have a food sample, we would appreciate if you could hold the sample for up to 10 business days.
Please store the sample so it is preserved and not a hazard to other foods or people. This means for:
Samples are not returned to the complainant and could be destroyed if testing is done.
If we have not contacted you within 10 days, our investigators do not need the sample and you can discard it.
Food and Controlled Drugs Branch
Any complaints made to SA Health may be referred to:
We are usually not able to provide details of the progress and outcome of an investigation.
This information remains confidential in case of any subsequent enforcement proceedings.
We are unable to act on behalf of complainants for reimbursement of the cost of the food, compensation or damages. SA Health cannot provide legal advice.