Statistics: Consumer food safety complaints

Consumers play an important role in the food safety system by reporting any food safety concerns to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The information you provide may help us ensure that unsafe products are removed from the marketplace and that other consumers are informed.

On average, the CFIA receives 2,035 reports of potential food safety concerns from consumers each year.

To find out more about the consumer's role in the food safety system, and where to report a food complaint, please consult the Food safety for consumers page.

Consumer food safety complaints

Description of graph – April 2018 – March 2023 Table

Consumer food safety complaints from April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2023

-	Apr 18 – Mar 19	Apr 19 – Mar 20	Apr 20 – Mar 21	Apr 21 – Mar 22	Apr 22 – Mar 23
Total complaints	2389	2079	1918	1840	1958

Consumer food safety complaints by hazard

Description of graph – April 2018 – March 2023 Table

Consumer food safety complaints by hazard from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023

-	Apr 18 – Mar 19	Apr 19 – Mar 20	Apr 20 – Mar 21	Apr 21 – Mar 22	Apr 22 – Mar 23
Allergen complaints	221	160	156	174	157
Chemical complaints	133	115	100	86	100
Extraneous material complaints	1383	1291	1202	1162	1202
Microbiological complaints	633	484	429	405	430
Other	56	54	69	41	69

Glossary

Allergen

A food product may contain ingredients such as peanuts, milk or eggs that are not identified or are incorrectly identified on the label and that can cause adverse reactions in people who are allergic to the item.

Chemical

A food product may contain chemical residues such as lead, mercury or pesticides that, at certain levels, can affect human health.

Extraneous material

A food product may contain material from an outside source, such as metal, glass or hair. These are not necessarily a risk to human health.

Microbiological

A food product may be contaminated by micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses or parasites, which have the potential to cause illness.

Other

A food product may be of concern due to the presence of a hazard that does not fall within one of the above categories. Examples include non-permitted ingredients, nutrition concerns and potential tampering.