ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Filing a Food Facility Complaint
with the Environmental Health Division

Food Related Complaints:
Please use the following questions and answers as a guide on how to submit a complaint about food or a food business. We hope that all of your dining experiences in El Dorado County are pleasant and healthy. Please remember that all complainant information is confidential.

• I got sick from eating food, what should I do?
  If you are sick from eating food, contact your doctor. If you would like to make a complaint about a food-related (or foodborne) illness that you feel is associated with a restaurant or other food facility located in this county, contact our office at (530) 621-5300 in Placerville, or (530) 573-3450 in South Lake Tahoe. (For other county links, click here).
  • Be prepared to answer the following questions as specifically as possible. All information is strictly confidential:
    1. Name, age, address, occupation.
    2. Who else is in your family? Names, ages.
    3. Are they ill?
    4. Who else ate the suspected meal with you? Are they ill?
    5. Did you see a doctor? If so, who, where, and when.
    6. Complete meal history: starting at the time of the suspected meal and going back 72 hours.
       1. Include drinks (with or without ice) and all snacks in the meal history.
       2. Include all condiments or garnishes consumed.
       3. Include all restaurants (including their locations) where you had these meals.
       4. If others in your family are ill, what is their 72-hour meal history?
    7. What are/were your symptoms? Be very specific.
    8. What was the time when you first noticed a symptom?
    9. How long did your symptoms last?
    10. Do you have any pets?
    11. Do you have public or private (well and septic system) utilities?
    12. Any other comments that you may have or questions that the Environmental Health Specialist may have that could be pertinent to the investigation.
        
  • You may be asking why all this information is necessary. There are many different bacteria and viruses that could make a person ill, and there could be many variables involved. Your age, general health, and how much contaminated food you ate could all be factors. At-risk people can become very ill and can even die from some forms of foodborne illness because their immune systems are less able to fight off the bacteria. Specific viruses or bacteria could be identified from the symptoms an ill person experiences, what type of food was consumed, and when and how long symptoms persist. Some bacteria and virus makes us sick quickly, and some could take days. At times, a virus or bacteria can be isolated with medical tests. Because there are several types of foodborne illness-causing viruses and bacteria, narrowing the field with the help of the questions listed above will greatly help the investigation of the Environmental Health Specialist.
    
• I bought packaged food from a grocery store and it was bad (moldy bread, rancid meat, contaminated canned product, etc.). What should I do?
  For complaints about packaged food or meat products from a retail store, contact the State Department of Health services Food and Drug Branch Consumer Hotline: (800) 495-3232
  
  
• I saw a cockroach/mouse or otherwise have a complaint about how food was prepared in a restaurant - what do I do?
  If you have a complaint about unhealthy conditions such as uncleanliness, poor food handling practices, or unsafe food, contact our office at (530) 621-5300 in Placerville, or (530) 573-3450 in South Lake Tahoe. An Environmental Health Specialist will investigate the complaint.
  
  
• I had horrible service, and the manager didn't care when I told him about the wait staff.
  If you have a complaint that is not related to unhealthy conditions, such as poor service, you should complain to the restaurant manager and/or the Better Business Bureau.