Food and restaurants
There are many laws that protect you when you buy food and drink, whether from a shop or restaurant. If you are not happy with food you’ve bought or service you’ve received, these pages will help.
This content applies to Northern Ireland
Food and restaurants - an introduction
Overview of your rights when things go wrong when you buy food from a shop or restaurant how to sort out your problem.
Restaurant food is poor
What to do if you have a problem with the quality or safety of food in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
Restaurant service is poor
What to do if you have a problem with the service in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
Unsafe or poor quality food bought in shops
What you can do if there’s something wrong with food you bought from a shop, market or street vendor.
Complaints about food labelling and advertising
What you can do if you have a complaint about the labelling or advertising of food or drink.
Complaints about weights and measures
What to do if you have a complaint about the weight or measure of food you bought.
Unhygienic or unclean food premises
What to do if you think a food shop, vendor or restaurant is selling food in an unclean or unhygienic environment.
Selling food – what you need to know
If you want to sell food you must follow certain rules to stick within the law. This is to protect consumers and to ensure food is safe to eat.
Genetically modified food
Labelling of genetically modified food (GM food), when labelling is not required, and complaining about GM content labelling.
Food and drink organisations
Organisations that give advice about whether it is safe to consume certain types of food, or whether a complaint about food or drink you have is legitimate.
Pricing problems
Pricing practices that are and are not allowed and what to do if you’ve got a complaint about prices.