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, food safety in the majority of businesses including supermarkets, fast-food outlets, cafés, restaurants, food trucks, child care centres and food stalls is monitored by local council Environmental Health Officers. Types of complaints that local council may investigate include:
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 SA councils list & map.
While most food safety complaints are handled by the local council, some complaints will be handled by SA Health or SA Health and local council. These include complaints about:
To lodge a complaint to SA Health please complete the Food Complaints & Enquiries Form.
Please note, any food complaints made to SA Health may be referred to the relevant regulator:
Butchers and meat processors — 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 if it affects safety of the food) e.g. 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 you suspect you have food poisoning please consult a doctor. 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, or log the complaint using the Food Complaints & Enquiries Form.
If you make a complaint to SA Health, it will be logged and considered carefully. We will investigate as appropriate, however we give priority to:
When making a complaint please provide as much detail as possible about the issue including:
You will be contacted within 10 days if further information about your complaint is needed.
Food sample testing is often not required however, if you have a food sample, please keep the sample for up to 10 business days. You will be contacted if we require the sample. 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.
SA Health 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.
For further information contact the Food Safety and Regulation Branch.