A dead spider in a loaf of brown bread, a live insect in a burrito bowl and a pack of muesli full of maggots were among the issues complained about to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last year.
In a report on the more than 8,500 complaints and queries handled by its advice line in 2024, the FSAI said other complaints included a piece of glass in a chicken breast, a large piece of rubber in a protein bar and a toothpick in a bag of chips.
Other callers said they had found a metal pin in pre-packed prawns, a piece of plastic in a milkshake, a metal nail in a takeaway meal, a snail in a box of grapes and a large piece of metal in a chocolate biscuit.
The FSAI said complaints accounted for some 4,996 of the calls it received, an increase of 13.7 per cent in comparison to 2023. There has been an upward trend in consumers contacting the authority over the past decade continued.
Some 32 per cent of contacts (1,597) related to unfit food such as products contaminated by foreign objects.
The FSAI said all complaints received by it last year were followed up and investigated by inspectors across the State.
The second most frequently reported category, that of suspected food poisoning, increased to 29 per cent (1,449) of total complaints – up from 23.3 per cent in 2023.
The third most frequently reported category related to poor hygiene standards. These included reports of rodents being spotted in businesses; poor personal hygiene such as staff openly coughing and sneezing or food and money being handles with the same gloves; and the presence of excessive numbers of flies and insects.
There were 169 complaints about labelling, 155 about allergy information and 81 about unregistered food businesses.
FSAI chief executive Greg Dempsey said the authority welcomed calls from consumers and food businesses to its advice line.
“People reporting inappropriate and unsafe food and practices is vitally important and is an essential component, supporting the work of the food inspectorate to ensure the highest standards and quality across the food chain,” he said.
“The year-on-year increase in complaints to the advice line reflects an increased awareness among consumers of the importance of food safety and also demonstrates their zero-tolerance approach when it comes to poor food safety and hygiene standards in food products and in food premises.”
Mr Dempsey warned food businesses of their legal obligation to provide safe products and said the FSAI’s advice line, website and learning portal were “important resources for the food industry.”
“We encourage all food business operators to avail of these free and accessible tools.”
During 2024, there were some 3,600 queries from people working in the food industry, including caterers, manufacturers and retailers, with popular topics including how to start a food business; labelling information; best practice and food safety training.
