Is it possible to report a restaurant if I believe its food made me sick?

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eracode

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#129494 18-Sep-2013 08:10

Subject says it. Ate in restaurant on Monday evening and within six hours had unmentionable tummy problems. Quite bad and I still have it.

Is it possible to report on this to Health or other authorities and if so, how is it done? I have googled but can't see anything.

Thanks

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#897317 18-Sep-2013 08:16

Sure; ring your local council or health authority and ask. Alternatively the Ministry of Health in Wellington will tell you.

I was in hospital a few years ago with Listeriosis for 9 days. Not recommended. It is a notifiable disease so I was actually visited in hospital by a man from the public health bit of the DHB (I think that was where he was from anyway) who wanted details of where I had eaten and what had eaten.

It was a certain well known fried chicken establishment that seemed most likely, in case anyone wants to know....

Inphinity

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#897318 18-Sep-2013 08:20

Yes, see here

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#897355 18-Sep-2013 09:05

I guess you need to be really sure that they are the cause.

By far the most common types of food poisoning are salmonella, e coli and campylobacter. All have incubation periods greater than 6 hours so you're not going to see any symptoms in this timeframe.

Have you considered that it was maybe just an ingredient in the food that your body disagreed with?

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#897590 18-Sep-2013 12:27

I blamed KFC for issues I was having once, turn out to be kidney stones!

Still KFC's fault but more a cumulative effect :P

garbonzai

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#897630 18-Sep-2013 13:08

I had campylobacter years ago and I got it bad, was in hospital for 5 days and took months to fully recover from, during this time I had a lot of anger in my mind towards a place I had eaten at recently.

Then remembered that the weekend before I was trout fishing on a braided river and there was Geese and ducks everywhere, so a lot of bird poo and I drank out of the stream water, so was most likely self inflicted for me.

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#897636 18-Sep-2013 13:13

I am almost certain that when I got food poisoning it was from Chinese food from Miramar Fish Supply in Wellington.

Was nearly 24 hours before I had symptoms. Spent a night in hospital.

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mattwnz

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#897643 18-Sep-2013 13:23

Some people have different tolerances to bugs in food. So those with low immune systems can get sick while offers may not. But report them, even if they weren't the cause, they can still get it checked out. Policing of food safety practices in restaurants/cafes in NZ, is one area which I think is lacking, especially as there are so many of them. Don't know why they have grades, it is either pass or fail in my opinion.

Inphinity

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#897655 18-Sep-2013 13:32

mattwnz: Some people have different tolerances to bugs in food. So those with low immune systems can get sick while offers may not. But report them, even if they weren't the cause, they can still get it checked out. Policing of food safety practices in restaurants/cafes in NZ, is one area which I think is lacking, especially as there are so many of them. Don't know why they have grades, it is either pass or fail in my opinion.

The point in the grades is, as in academia, to differentiate between "passed" and "passed very well". There are a range of criteria (that can vary slightly between local authority regions) that are a requirement to pass the inspection, and equally a range of not-required-but-good-to-meet criteria that result in a higher grade. For example, if a particular area or surface needs to be cleaned daily to comply, a company that cleans said area/surface every 2 hours would exceed requirements and this could contribute to a higher grade.

mattwnz

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#897666 18-Sep-2013 13:41

Inphinity:
mattwnz: Some people have different tolerances to bugs in food. So those with low immune systems can get sick while offers may not. But report them, even if they weren't the cause, they can still get it checked out. Policing of food safety practices in restaurants/cafes in NZ, is one area which I think is lacking, especially as there are so many of them. Don't know why they have grades, it is either pass or fail in my opinion.

The point in the grades is, as in academia, to differentiate between "passed" and "passed very well". There are a range of criteria (that can vary slightly between local authority regions) that are a requirement to pass the inspection, and equally a range of not-required-but-good-to-meet criteria that result in a higher grade. For example, if a particular area or surface needs to be cleaned daily to comply, a company that cleans said area/surface every 2 hours would exceed requirements and this could contribute to a higher grade.

I realise that, but there aren't really different grades of getting sick from bad food safety practices. You either get sick or your don't, but I guess it means that there is 'less risk' of getting sick with a higher grade. But who actually goes in and looks at the certificate, as it isn't usually on the front door.
I think part of the problem is there are different TAs with different systems and rules, rather than one blanket system across the entire NZ.
I do know about setting up a commerical kitchen as have been involved with that in the past and some of the red tape and requirements are just stupid and differ between TSAs. Especially as non profits can setup cake stalls, baked in their own home, or people have sausage sizzles without meeting the requirements that food establishments have to meet.

surfisup1000

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#897676 18-Sep-2013 13:50

eracode: Subject says it. Ate in restaurant on Monday evening and within six hours had unmentionable tummy problems. Quite bad and I still have it.

Is it possible to report on this to Health or other authorities and if so, how is it done? I have googled but can't see anything.

Thanks

It's almost impossible to tell unless there were multiple cases where you can determine a unique sickness pattern at that particular restaurant.

allan

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#897739 18-Sep-2013 14:59

I once reported a place after I found a piece of glass in the mini quiche I was eating (no damage to mouth).

Very impressed with the local health authority response. They came and interviewed me and took the piece of glass. They tracked down the source and established that the bakery was making the quiches themselves and that a small piece of glass from the bottom corner of a glass sliding door from a pie warmer had broken off and fallen into an open bag of frozen mixed vegetables sitting in the open freezer cabinet below. The mixed vegetables were then used in making the quiche.

Not sure if they were prosecuted or not.

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Inphinity

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#897744 18-Sep-2013 15:02

mattwnz:But who actually goes in and looks at the certificate, as it isn't usually on the front door.

Interesting, which area is that? Auckland Council requires food grading certificates to be "conspicuously displayed at the principal entrance in full and un-obscured view." As such, I look at the certificate pretty much anywhere I go before buying.

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#897751 18-Sep-2013 15:20

If you believe it was the restaurant that made you sick why not just give them an online review of your experience?

I normally use:
http://www.dineout.co.nz/
http://www.menumania.co.nz

networkn

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#897760 18-Sep-2013 15:25

Klipspringer: If you believe it was the restaurant that made you sick why not just give them an online review of your experience?

I normally use:
http://www.dineout.co.nz/
http://www.menumania.co.nz

Because he isn't sure, and with a 6 hour period I would think it pretty unlikely it was the restaurant anyways. He could put a business out of business by "reviewing" without proof. Not to mention it being legally actionable.

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#898139 19-Sep-2013 05:12

mattwnz:
...
But who actually goes in and looks at the certificate, as it isn't usually on the front door.
...

Me, and if I do not see an A near to the door, I choose somewhere else.

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