How to Complain About Fake or Adulterated Food: PFA, PSQCA, DRAP
To complain about a fake or adulterated food product, first keep the evidence (the bill, the sealed or unopened pack, photos of the batch and dates), then send it to the right body: your provincial food authority for shops, restaurants and loose milk, PSQCA for packaged products that must meet a national standard, DRAP for medicines and cosmetics, and a consumer court if you want your money back. In India, food goes to FSSAI or the state food safety office, and refunds to the consumer commission.
In brief
- Step 1: stop using it and keep it, don’t throw it away
- Step 2: photograph the pack, batch, dates, price and the problem
- Step 3: complain to the seller in writing, keep a copy
- Step 4: report to the right regulator through its official website or app
- Step 5: for a refund or compensation, a consumer court or commission
- Illness first: if anyone is unwell, see a doctor before anything else
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How to complain about a food product: who covers what
Most complaints go nowhere because they go to the wrong office. Each body has its own patch, and a short map saves weeks.
| Problem | Pakistan | India |
|---|---|---|
| Shop, restaurant, bakery, milk shop, street food | Provincial food authority (Punjab, Sindh, KP, Balochistan) | State food safety department, FSSAI |
| Packaged food not meeting its standard or label | PSQCA, plus the provincial food authority | FSSAI |
| Medicines, herbal products, cosmetics | DRAP, provincial health department | State drug controller, CDSCO |
| Refund, replacement, compensation | Consumer court under your provincial consumer law | District consumer commission |
In Islamabad, food and consumer issues go to the Islamabad administration’s own food and consumer bodies. When in doubt, the federal Pakistan Citizen’s Portal forwards complaints to the department it thinks is responsible, which is slower but better than nothing.
We don’t print phone numbers or web addresses here on purpose. They change, and copycat pages and fake “helplines” exist. Search the body’s full name, open its official government website (in Pakistan usually ending .gov.pk, in India .gov.in or .nic.in), and use the complaint page or app listed there.
Punjab food authority complaint portal and other provincial routes
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA), and the matching authorities in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, license and inspect food businesses. They’re the right place for adulterated milk from a shop, dirty kitchens, expired stock on shelves, fake branded products being sold, and illness after eating out. Most take complaints through an official website, a mobile app, social media accounts listed on their site, or a helpline printed on their official pages.
What they can do: inspect the premises, take samples for their lab, fine, seal or close a business. What they usually don’t do: refund your money. That’s the consumer court’s job.
What evidence to keep (the one-page checklist)
A complaint with evidence gets action. A complaint that says “the ghee was fake” with nothing else gets filed. Print this list and keep it on the fridge.
- The bill or receipt, with the shop name, date and price. A photo of the bill is good; the bill itself is better.
- The product, unopened if you have a second pack. A sealed pack from the same batch is the best sample a lab can get. Keep opened packs too, closed and cold if they’re perishable.
- Clear photos of the front, back, batch or lot number, manufacturing and expiry dates, price, maker’s address and any licence or registration number.
- Photos of the problem: insects, mould, odd colour, foreign objects, a broken seal, next to the pack so it’s clear they belong together.
- A written note of the date and time you bought and opened it, what you noticed, who ate it and any symptoms.
- Medical papers if anyone saw a doctor: prescription, test results, bills.
- Your complaint to the seller and any reply, by message, email or letter, with dates.
- Your complaint reference number from each authority, written on the same sheet.
Keep a “second pack”
If you suspect a product and can afford it, buy one more sealed pack of the same batch from the same shop and don’t open it. Regulators and courts trust a sealed sample far more than an opened one from your kitchen.
Check first: is it really fake or adulterated?
Before you file, spend five minutes on what the pack and the food are telling you, because many home tests mislead. Our honest guides cover the common ones: desi ghee real or fake, honey real or fake, and for herbal products checking DRAP enlistment. None of these proves adulteration; only a lab does. That’s fine. You don’t have to prove it. You have to report what you saw clearly, and the authority’s lab does the proving.
Myth: a home test result is enough proof for a court
It isn’t. A glass of water or a flame “test” in your kitchen carries no weight. What counts is a sealed sample, a receipt and the regulator’s own lab report. And never taste, burn or add chemicals to a food you suspect.
What happens after you file a food safety complaint
- You get a reference number. Write it down; ask for one if you don’t.
- The authority may call you for details or to collect your sample.
- Inspectors may visit the shop or factory and take their own samples.
- Samples go to a food lab. This can take days or weeks.
- If the sample fails, the business may be fined, sealed or prosecuted. You may or may not be told the outcome; follow up with your reference number.
Realistic expectations help. Food authorities act on patterns, and many complaints about one shop move faster than one. You’ll rarely get your money back from them.
Consumer complaint kaise kare: getting a refund
For a refund, replacement or compensation, go through consumer law. In Pakistan, each province has a consumer protection law and consumer courts, and Islamabad has its own. In India, the Consumer Protection Act runs district, state and national commissions, and the National Consumer Helpline takes complaints through its official website and app before a formal case.
The usual order is: complain to the seller in writing first, give them a fair chance to reply (many consumer laws expect a written notice before a case), then file with the consumer court or commission with your evidence. Small cases often don’t need a lawyer. Check your court’s current rules on its official site; the forms and time limits differ between provinces and states.
Families used to settle it at the counter: take the tin back, raise your voice, get a replacement. It still works with a decent shopkeeper and costs nothing. Do it politely, in writing if you can, and keep the evidence either way.
If someone ate the food and has vomiting that won’t stop, blood in stool, signs of dehydration (very little urine, dizziness, dry mouth), a high fever, confusion or trouble breathing, get medical care now. Children, pregnant women, older people and anyone on long-term medicines need a doctor sooner. Keep the food; it may help doctors. Home care for milder cases is in food poisoning at home: the 24-hour rule.
How to complain about fake products: questions people ask
How do I complain about a food product in Pakistan?
Complain to your provincial food authority for shops, restaurants and milk, or to PSQCA for packaged products that fail their standard. Use the authority’s official website or app, and keep the bill, pack and photos.
Where is the Punjab Food Authority complaint portal?
On the Punjab Food Authority’s official government website and app. Search its full name and open the official .gov.pk site rather than a lookalike page.
How do I file a food safety complaint in India?
Use FSSAI’s official complaint app or website, or contact your state food safety department. For a refund, go through the consumer commission.
Consumer complaint kaise kare?
Write to the seller first and keep a copy. If they don’t fix it, file with the consumer court or commission with your bill, product and photos.
Who handles fake medicines and cosmetics?
In Pakistan, DRAP and the provincial health department. In India, the state drug controller and CDSCO. Keep the pack with its batch number.
Do I need to keep the product after complaining?
Yes, until the case is closed. A sealed pack from the same batch is the most useful sample.
Can I complain without a receipt?
Yes, to the food authority, though a receipt makes it stronger. For a refund through a consumer court, proof of purchase matters much more.
How long does a food complaint take?
Inspections can happen in days, but lab results and action can take weeks. Follow up using your reference number.
Will I get compensation from the food authority?
Usually not. Authorities fine and close businesses; refunds and compensation come through a consumer court.
What should I do if my child ate adulterated food?
Watch closely and see a doctor early for vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or drowsiness. Go to hospital for any sign of dehydration or breathing trouble, and take the pack with you.
How do I complain about food at restaurants?
Tell the manager first, keep the bill and photos, and report to the provincial food authority if it’s about hygiene, spoiled food or illness.
Are helpline numbers on social media real?
Not always. Take contact details only from the authority’s official government website.
More honest buying and safety guides are in Desi Remedies.