Product Recall and Withdrawal Record
Handle a bad batch in order and prove afterwards exactly what was pulled, from where and when, rather than reconstructing it from phone calls.
FP-25 1 page
Kitchen and catering · KC-25
Food Complaint Investigation Record
A free printable food complaint form: one complaint of illness, an allergic reaction or something in the food, followed from first contact to close-out.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Look for the cause of a food complaint rather than just apologising for it. The changes made afterwards are written down where they can be found.
Who it is for
Owners, managers and head chefs of restaurants, cafes, takeaways, caterers and small food producers.
How to use it
- Fill in the complaint section while the customer is still on the phone or in front of you.
- Keep anything they hand back, labelled and stored apart from other food.
- Work through the investigation checks, writing what each one showed.
- Write the likely cause, or that none was found, the reply to the customer and what changed as a result.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: One food complaint per sheet, from the first contact to the close: what was reported, what the kitchen checked, what it found and what changed as a result.
The complaint — type: tick all that apply
- Illness
- Allergic reaction
- Object in food
- Quality
- Other
Write-on lines: Received (date, time) · How (phone, in person, email, online) · Taken by · Our ref. · Customer contact (optional) · Bill or order no. · What was eaten · When eaten
Ruled lines: What they report, in their own words
Write-on lines: Item, packaging or sample kept? Where · Others who ate with them affected?
Investigation — tick each check and write what it showed
- Batch, delivery or prep date of the dish found
- That day's temperature and cleaning records read
- Recipe and allergen information checked
- Other complaints about the same dish looked for
- Staff illness in the days before checked
- Supplier contacted, if their product is involved
- Rest of the same batch set aside or withdrawn
- Local authority told, where the rules require it
Outcome
Write-on lines: Likely cause, or 'not found' · Reply to customer (date, how) · Changes to methods, recipes, suppliers or training · Closed by · Date closed · Signed
Questions
Do we have to report a food complaint to anyone?
It depends on the complaint and where you trade. Some suspected illnesses, allergic reactions and unsafe products have to be reported, or withdrawn, under local rules. Check the rules where you are; the sheet has a line to record it if you did.
What if we never find the cause?
Write 'not found' and keep the sheet anyway. A second complaint about the same dish or batch may make sense of the first, and the checks you made still show the complaint was taken seriously.
Related sheets
Allergen Matrix and Dish Record
Keep one grid that anybody taking an order can read, instead of a set of recipe cards nobody has time to look through during service.
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Batch Production Record
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Goods In Delivery Check Sheet
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Food Handler Fitness to Work Record
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