Where to go regarding food safety complaints

[Emoni]

Hello Jrefers,

I had a quick question in regards to where I should go in regards to reporting

I've almost never run into problems with food poisoning in Japan, last Wednesday was the second time. Oh man is it devastating when food poisoning hits. I spent over 18 hours vomiting and with diarrhea before I began vomiting blood and had to go to the hospital. I had not been able to get any food or water down for the entire length. I am still rather weak four days afterward. I'm not too happy about this as you might guess, but I'm certainly glad I got on medication immediately.

I'm unsure how to handle this, but I am quite certain it was due to the doria or pork in the salad that I ate at Saizeria. I had nothing else food wise within that period that could have led to that result. When something happens, I like to not just complain but actually take action. I am not looking for money compensation, or suing or anything, but I want to make sure that this doesn't happen to another person.

Obviously I don't have any of the remaining food left (bringing in vomit bags didn't seem like a good idea) but what are the steps that I should take in regards to this issue? Is there a food safety board to contact? Is there a typical process in Japan in regards to food poisoning?

Thank you.

 

[undrentide]

I'm sorry to hear that you suffered from a severe food poisoning and hope you feel much better now.

It is 保健所 (hokenjo/public health care centre) who handles 食中毒 (shokuchuudoku/food poisoning).

厚生労働省 (Kousei Roudou Shou/Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) has a leaflet about food poisoning, according to this one should go and see doctor and if the doctor find (or suspect) it a food poisoning, he's obliged to report to the local hokenjo.
(Based on 食品衛生法 Food Sanitation Act)
ﾂ食窶吮??窶愿 | ﾅ津ｺﾂ青ｶﾋ廱窶慊ｭﾂ湘?/url]
[url=http://www.mhlw.go.jp/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/syokuchu/index.html]ﾂ食窶吮??窶愿 | ﾅ津ｺﾂ青ｶﾋ廱窶慊ｭﾂ湘?/url]
In reality the doctor may not report unless he saw more than just a few patients who (seem to have) got the food poisoning from the same source. You can inform or consult 保健所 directly by yourself.

You can go to the local city/ward office (or thier website) to find the contact details of 保健所.

 

[Emoni]

The doctor was rather heartless and treated me with the bedside manner of a brick, so I don't see him being too considerate for others and making the effort to report.

Thank you very much for the information. I'll checks into this. I thought of going into the restaurant and speaking to the manager, but I am not sure that this would really do anything, although I'm not sure that the ward office will either, but either way I want to make the effort to report it. Thank you a lot. I'll get started looking at this ASAP.