Foreign objects in your food

Discovering something wrong with your food can be an unpleasant experience. However, not all situations pose a serious health risk and some do not require the council to investigate. We have detailed some common food complaints with a short explanation and suggested course of action. 

What should I do if my circumstance is not covered? 

Please contact us on [email protected] or 01242 264135 as we will want to see the item in person. You will need to do the following:
  • Where possible, take photographs of the food problem and send these to [email protected]. 
  • Leave any foreign object in the food, don't handle it.
  • Keep all food and packaging in the original container if possible and place in the fridge or freezer where appropriate
  • Bring the item to our offices and sign to confirm that we will take ownership of the item and that we will not get involved in compensation issues. 

Common complaints

Tinned foods

Insects

Occasionally, small grubs may be discovered in canned vegetables especially sweetcorn and tomatoes.  The grubs are the larvae of a moth which live inside the sweetcorn kernel or tomato and are impossible to see before they are processed. Although it isn't pleasant to find a grub in your food, they are killed and sterilised by the canning process. As the use of pesticides decreases, these types of problem will increase.

There is no public health risk, you should contact the manufacturer or supermarket.

Wasps and fruit flies

These are naturally associated with fruit and so often found in tins of fruit and they do not carry disease.

There is no public health risk, you should contact the manufacturer or supermarket.

Struvite

Some 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. They are not harmful and will be broken down by the stomach acid if swallowed. Struvite is especially common in tinned salmon and will dissolve if placed in vinegar and gently heated for up to 15-20 minutes (they may not dissolve completely in this time but will reduce in size). Glass will not dissolve.

Heat gently in vinegar for 15-20 minutes, if it is struvite, there is no public health risk and you should contact the manufacturer, if it is glass, please contact us.

Mould

Dented, damaged or incorrectly processed tins may allow mould growth to occur.  This could indicate an error in production or storage.

There is a possible public health risk and you should contact us.

Fish

Codworm

White fish such as cod or haddock may be infested with a small, round brownish/yellow worm found in the flesh. They are killed by cooking and are harmless to humans.  The affected parts of the fish are usually cut away, but some may be missed.

There is no public health risk, you should contact the manufacturer or supermarket.

Meat and poultry

Skin, bone

Products made from meat and/or poultry may contain small bones, skin or parts of blood vessels.  These are unsightly but rarely a health hazard as they are normal parts of the original animal.  They may sometimes cause problems such as a chipped tooth and these are best dealt with by the individual - via the Civil Court if necessary.

Note: It is very rare for prohibited parts of an animal such as genitals, eyes, eye-lids or non-food animals such as cats and dogs to be used for human food.  Meat such as chicken or lamb is easily available and relatively inexpensive so that the use of prohibited parts or species is not economical.

There is no public health risk, you should contact the manufacturer or supermarket.

Fruit and vegetables

Stones, soil and slugs

Fruit and vegetables commonly have soil, stones or small slugs adhering to them. This is quite normal as they originate from the soil. 

You should wash all salad items thoroughly. There is no public health risk.

Bakery goods

Bakery char

Bread and cakes may contain bits of overcooked dough which has flaked off bakery tins.  It does not necessarily indicate poor hygiene although they may be mistaken for rodent droppings which are black and regular torpedo shaped, whilst bakery char is greyish and uneven in shape.

Contact manufacturer or if in doubt, contact us. There is no public health risk.

Carbonised grease

The machinery used to produce bread and cakes is lubricated with a non-toxic vegetable oil.  Occasionally some of this may become incorporated into the dough giving the product a grey/greasy appearance.

There is no public health risk, you should contact the manufacturer or supermarket.

Dried foods

Insects

Dried products such as flour, sugar and pulses may contain small insects such as psocids (book lice).  These do not carry diseases, but they are unsightly and can eat through the paper of the packet.  They breed very quickly in warm, humid conditions and so spread into uncontaminated food very quickly.

There is no public health risk, you should contact the manufacturer or supermarket.

Chocolate and confectionery

Bloom

Chocolate may develop a light coloured bloom if stored at too high a temperature.  It is not mould but due to fat separation and it is not harmful.

There is no public health risk, you should contact the manufacturer or supermarket.

Sugar crystals

Large sugar crystals may form in confectionery and may be mistaken for glass.  The crystals will dissolve in warm water.

Sugar crystals are not a public health risk. However glass is a public health risk, so please contact us if you believe there is glass in the product.