Common food complaints
This page provides information and advice about common food complaints.
The following is a list of food complaints which, on the whole and due to the nature of the processes involved, are unavoidable and so would not result in us taking any formal action.
Should you have concerns about any suspect food purchased in the Reigate & Banstead Borough Council area, please contact the Food and Safety Team on 01737 276417.
Vegetables and fruits
Stones, soil and slugs
Fruit and vegetables commonly have soil, stones or small slugs adhering to them. This is quite normal as they originate in the soil.
No public health risk - wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly.
Greenfly
Salad vegetables may have green fly attached, especially lettuce. This is becoming increasingly common as the use of pesticides decreases. Greenfly are difficult to wash off and they are not harmful. In fact they demonstrate that the salad is fresh.
No public health risk - wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly.
Mould growth
Will naturally occur when fruit and vegetables become damaged and bruised. This will be minimised if the buyer checks the produce before purchase.
No public health risk - dispose of damaged items.
Larvae in vegetables
Small grubs are often found in canned or frozen vegetables, particularly tomatoes and sweetcorn. Their colour is often cream to greenish brown with long dark and pale bands, but this is variable. They can be up to 4cm in length.
People think they may be maggots or caterpillars. These are moth larvae that live inside the food and so are difficult to see during growing and processing. They are killed and sterilised by the canning process and so are not a health risk.
Every effort is made to control these pests during growing but EEC Directives fix maximum levels of pesticide residues in food and to decrease their happening, more insecticides would have to be used.
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer.
White spots in tinned grapefruit
Sometimes, tinned grapefruit will be covered in white specks that look like mould. Also the liquid in the tin may be cloudy. This is actually a natural constituent of the grapefruit called Naringin and it gives the fruit its distinctive bitter taste.
Variations in the weather cause an increase in the amount of Naringin the fruit contains and when canned, this excess Naringin crystallises out.
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer.
Cardamom pods in pilau rice
Cardamom pods are sometimes mistaken by members of the public as rodent droppings or insects. Cardamom is the common name for certain plant species native to India and south-eastern Asia. The fruit (pod) is a small capsule with 8 to 16 brown seeds; the seeds are used as a spice or the pods can be used whole in pilau rice.
No public health risk – Cardamon pods can either be removed or eaten.
Bakery and confectionary
Bakery char
This consists of grey or black irregular shaped drops usually found in bread or cakes. Often the drops are mistaken for rodent droppings which are black and torpedo shaped. The char is actually overcooked dough which has flaked off bakery tins.
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer/retailer. Contact the Food and Safety Team on 01737 276417 if rodent droppings.
Carbonised grease
Areas in bread and cakes may be found to be grey and greasy. People suspect there is dirt or oil in their food. This happens when the bread or cake is made. In the bakery the machinery is lubricated with non-toxic vegetable oil. Sometimes, some of this oil may drop into the dough giving rise to dark, greasy areas in the product. The oil is safe if eaten
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer or retailer.
Chocolate bloom
This is a light coloured area on the surface of chocolate often described as mould. This happens if the chocolate is kept at too high a temperature or in varying temperatures. This causes fats in the chocolate to separate, forming the discoloration. The chocolate is safe to eat
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer or retailer.
Small insects in flour
These are "Psocids" which are tiny grey or brown insects the size of a pin head, found in dried products such as flour and sugar. Psocids prefer warm, dark, humid conditions such as folds of packaging in domestic food cupboards. So products are usually infected in the home, not at the shop or manufacturer.
They do not cause disease and are not a health risk. The presence of Psocids does not mean a house is dirty as they happen in the cleanest of homes.
No public health risk – you need to:
- Remove the infected food and throw away in your external bin.
- Check all remaining food and throw away as necessary.
- Thoroughly clean the cupboards using a vacuum cleaner, paying attention to crevices. Immediately after use, dispose of the cleaner contents in an outside bin.
- Swap food and crockery around so if you haven’t removed all the eggs there is no food for Psocoids to breed.
- In future, always keep food cupboards well ventilated and dry and store packet foods in washable, covered containers.
Tinned foods
Mould
The evidence of mould may be a result of poor food hygiene and warrant a formal investigation. However there may be other causes.
Check the following information first - what is the use by date on the product and has the product been stored correctly?On investigation some products are found to be out of date or to have been stored at incorrect temperatures. Also, the packaging may be dented or have holes in it? If this is the case we would advise you to contact the manufacturer and retailer, as the damage could have happened in either of these.
If none of the above applies, please contact the Food and Safety Team on 01737 276417.
Insects in jam or tinned fruit
These are usually wasps or fruit flies. These insects are naturally associated with fruit and fruit growing areas. As they are small and light, some will inevitably get past the inspection process. They do not carry disease
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer.
Meat and fish
Skin and bone
Products made from meat and/or poultry may contain small bones or skin or parts of blood vessels. These are unsightly but not a health risk as they are normal parts of the original animal.
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer.
Red or pink colouration of cooked chicken meat
Sometimes a pink, brown or reddish colouring of poultry meat may occur giving the meat an undercooked appearance. This can be due to myoglobin, a pigment which is rich in iron. Myoglobin is similar to haemoglobin and is found in muscle fibres and may be present in higher concentration near to the bone, leading people to believe that the chicken or turkey has not been cooked through.
There are a number of reasons why myoglobin can be present in enough concentration to change the colour of the meat, the method of packaging, cooking and the type of bird that the meat came from are some of the factors.
Uncooked meat has a more translucent appearance and the fibres break less easily than cooked meat. Sometimes the dark colour may disappear on contact with air. Uncooked areas will only change colour when cooked further.
No public health risk - vontact the caterer or retailer.
Contact the Food and Safety Team on 01737 276417 if undercooked.
Struvite
Certain naturally occurring elements in fish may develop into hard crystals during the canning process. These crystals may be mistaken for glass fragments and are called struvite. It is not harmful and will be broken down by stomach acids if swallowed.
It is especially common in tinned salmon. Struvite crystals will be dissolved if placed in vinegar and gently heated. Glass will not.
No public health risk - contact the manufacturer if struvite. Contact the Food and Safety Team on 01737 276417 if glass.
Codworm
The flesh of white fish such as cod or haddock may be infested with a small, round, brownish-yellow worm. They are killed by cooking and are harmless to humans. The affected parts of the fish are usually cut away during processing, but some may be overlooked.
No public health risk - contact the retailer.
Contact
Food and Safety Team on 01737 276417
Last updated : 05/01/2010
