Complaints over beetle in burger bun, tooth in jam, and metal in cake to Food Safety Authority of Ireland

An animal tooth in jam, a beetle in a burger bun, and a metal screw in a cake.

These are among the 2,739 complaints made by consumers last year to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

While the number of complaints is almost unchanged from 2014 when 2,738 were received, complaints about poor hygiene standards increased by 14%.

There were a number of complaints about food contaminated with dead insects and metal, as well as other foreign objects.

Among the allegations from consumers was a worm found in a chicken nugget; a snail in pick ‘n’ mix sweets; and a sharp piece of glass in frozen peas.

However, while complaints about incorrect information on food labelling were up 10%, complaints about unfit food were down by 12%.

There was also a 4% decrease in complaints about food poisoning.

Here is a breakdown of the complaints that ranged from from food unfit to eat to non-display of allergen information:-

• 1,052 complaints about unfit food.
• 643 about hygiene standards.
• 510 about suspect food poisoning.
• 192 complaints about incorrect information on food labelling.
• 42 about allergen information.
• 342 ‘other’ complaints.

There were complaints about under-cooked food being served in food outlets and out-of-date food being sold in retail outlets.

Consumers complained about mouldy bread being used to make sandwiches and food that tasted strange.

The FSAI said all complaints were followed up and investigated by enforcement officers throughout the country.

Of the 11,832 requests received by the FSAI’s advice line last year, 49% were from businesses seeking advice and information across a range of food-related areas.

FSAI information manager, Edel Smyth, said there was now a low level of tolerance of poor hygiene standards, particularly food that was unfit to eat.

“This is a welcome development and is reflected in the level of complaints we receive directly from customers,” said Ms Smyth.

“We continue to encourage anyone who has a bad food safety experience to report the matter to the FSAI so that the issue can be dealt with.”

The food watchdog received about 49% of requests for advice by telephone and 40% by email, an increasingly popular way of making contact, with the remainder made by people who attended FSAI events or accessed the authority’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

The FSAI advice line, which operates from 9am to 5pm weekdays, is manned by trained advisers and food scientists and can be reached on 1890 336677.

People can email an inquiry to [e-mail] or through the ‘make a complaint’ section of the FSAI website.