Making a Complaint
- How do I make a complaint about the FSAI?
- How do I make a complaint about an inspector?
- How do I make a complaint about a food or food business?
How do I make a complaint about the FSAI?
You have a right to complain if you are unhappy with the service we provide to you. To make a formal complaint, please contact:
Customer Feedback Coordinator
The Exchange, George’s Dock, IFSC, Dublin 1.
Telephone: 01 817 1300 Email: customerfeedback@fsai.ie You also have the right to appeal if you are not satisfied with the way in which we handle your complaint. To appeal, please contact
Customer Appeals
Food Safety Authority of Ireland
The Exchange, George’s Dock, IFSC, Dublin 1.
Telephone: 01 817 1300 Email: customerappeals@fsai.ie If you remain dissatisfied with the FSAI’s response you can contact the Office of the Ombudsman. The function of the Ombudsman is to investigate complaints from members of the public who believe that they have been unfairly treated by certain public bodies. The Office of the Ombudsman is located at:
Office of the Ombudsman
18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2
Telephone(Lo-call): 1890 223 030 Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie We are committed to providing a quality service to our customers. Our Customer Charter and Customer Action Plan set out the standards of service you can expect to receive from us. We will acknowledge formal complaints within ten working days and respond to you in writing as soon as possible. We will deal with all complaints fairly and independently and will do our best to put things right if we have made a mistake.
How do I make a complaint about an Inspector?
You have the right to complain if you are unhappy with the outcome of an inspection of your food business, or are unhappy with the conduct of an inspector.
Inspectors from official agencies inspect food businesses on our behalf. These official agencies are:
• The Health Service Executive
• The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
• Local Authorities
• The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority
• The National Standards Authority of Ireland
If you wish to make a complaint about an inspection or inspector, you should first contact the relevant official agency to find out how their complaints procedure works.
If, after completing the official agency’s complaints and appeals procedure, you are still unhappy with the way in which your complaint has been handled, you can contact the FSAI or the Office of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can investigate complaints against government departments, local authorities and the Health Service Executive.
How do I make a complaint about a food or a food business?
If you’re not happy with the standard of hygiene in a food business, you find that food isn’t fit to eat, or you are unhappy with a food label, you should make a complaint – either to the food business, or to the FSAI.
To make a complaint to the FSAI you can:
• Call or email our Advice Line (0818 33 66 77; info@fsai.ie), or
• Complete our online complaint form
Complaints about food businesses will be investigated by inspectors working on our behalf. In order to investigate your complaint, we will ask you for your name and contact details so that the inspector can reach you if they need more information; and so that they can give you feedback on the investigation. Your name and contact details will not be given to the food businesses.
If you are making a complaint about a food, it helps if you provide us with as much information as possible. For example, where you bought the food, the manufacturer’s name and address, the best-before or use-by date and the batch code.
Last reviewed: 15/9/2022