The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) received 4,058 complaints from consumers via its advice line last year which is up by almost a fifth, figures published today (Monday, March 20) show.
Of those complaints, 31% related to unfit food and 28% to poor hygiene standards. Overall, the total number of complaints in 2022 was 18.9% higher than in the previous year.
Foreign body contamination of food was “frequently reported” in 2022, with pieces of glass; metal; hair; medicine tablets; and insects among commonly reported objects.
Examples include the discovery of live maggots in fried chicken; a dirty and possibly bloody plaster in a curry; a false nail in garlic cheese chips; and a piece of glass in coffee beans.
Consumer complaints
Complaints regarding unfit food cited meats not cooked completely; mould found on food products; food on sale past their use-by dates; and food served cold instead of hot, the FSAI said.
Hygiene issues reported by consumers included fish deliveries left outside in the sun; excessive flies; rodent droppings spotted; and staff not washing hands.
Other consumer complaints ranged from reports of suspected food poisoning to a failure to display allergen information. The breakdown of complaints are as follows:
- Unfit food: 1,258;
- Hygiene standards: 1,124;
- Suspect food poisoning: 1,122;
- Labelling: 150;
- Allergen information: 127;
- Unregistered food business: 63;
- Others: 214.
All complaints received by the FSAI in 2022 were followed up and investigated by food inspectors throughout the country.
FSAI
Commenting that the reporting of food safety issues plays a vital role in complementing the work of the food safety inspectorate, FSAI chief executive, Dr. Pamela Byrne said:
“Food businesses have a legal obligation to provide safe food and people noticing and contacting us is of great benefit to the environmental health officers, veterinary and agricultural inspectors, sea-fisheries inspection officers and the laboratories.
“While they carry out routine inspections throughout the country and analyse food samples, complaints assist in targeting an issue and ensure possible threats to public health are dealt with quickly.”
In 2022 there were also 3,305 food safety queries from people working in the food service sector; manufacturers; retailers; distributors; researchers; consultants; and consumers.
The most common topics raised included best practice in food businesses and food safety legislation; food supplement legislation; requests for FSAI publications; and imports and exports.