How do I complain about a restaurant that I suspect had given me food poisoning? Can I claim any compensation?

Auntie’s answer: The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) is the government agency responsible for food hygiene wherever the food is sold, including restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, school kitchens and mobile vendors.

The DEH food safety team carries out regular inspections of all food businesses, monitoring standards of hygiene and making sure the public is under no risk from unsanitary conditions or unsafe food.

As to your question, the department will investigate any consumer complaints about food possibly not meeting the appropriate requirements for safety.

The DEH website outlines the complaints procedure as well as what to do if you think you may be suffering from food poisoning (short answer: go see a doctor right away). The site also mentions specific examples of contamination but in case anyone is eating while reading this, I will spare you those details and let you read that for yourself.

I am not qualified to discuss compensation in any legal sense, but if the DEH finds that the restaurant in question was the source of your food poisoning, I think your first move would be to approach the establishment to discuss what they could do to make things right, and I would hope that the owners of any reputable restaurant would find a way to compensate you fairly.

For restaurants of lesser quality, I cannot say, but you can also seek legal advice.

For any complaint or question about food or food premises, call the DEH at 949-6696. If you live on Little Cayman or Cayman Brac, call the DEH at 948-2321.