These complaints are disgusting...
It's been revealed that over 3,400 consumer complaints were handled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s advice line in 2017.
The figure is a 6% increase on the 2016 figure which saw 3,200 consumer complaints made.
The FSAI states that the categories of complaints were as follows:
- 1,233 complaints on unfit food
- 896 complaints on hygiene standards
- 808 complaints on suspect food poisoning
- 183 complaints on incorrect information on food labelling
- 103 complaints on non-display of allergen information
- 102 other
Contamination of food was the most complained about by consumers with a number of foreign objects being reported in food in businesses around the country.
Examples of complaints received included chewing gum being reported several times as being present in a number foods including sandwich wraps; scrambled egg from a breakfast buffet; and in takeaway rice.
Other foreign objects found in foods were a long black hair in a sandwich; rodent droppings in a bag of crisps; a tooth in a takeaway dish; larvae in jar of beetroot; a piece of glass in a smoothie; maggots in mashed potato; and a wasp in a packet of rashers.
A number of complaints were also made over poor hygiene standards in food businesses in Ireland with rats, mice and flies all reported.
But complaints were also made over the poor personal hygiene of staff working in food businesses including staff wiping noses when preparing sandwiches; staff members picking up dropped food from the floor and then including the food to make a sandwich; and the smell of sewerage in food premises.
All of the reports were followed up and investigated by food inspectors for the FSAI.
