The Food Safety Authority of Ireland recorded 14 percent increase in consumer complaints regarding food hygiene, premises and labeling of food. The complaints were received by FSAI's Advice Line amounting to 2,739 cases which has roughly changed from a recorded 2,738 cases in 2014.
As reported in the FoodSafetyNews website, these various cases comprise of complaints about food contamination of foreign objects including an alleged presence of dead beetle in a burger bun, a worm in a chicken nugget and a cake with a screw.
There are also complaints about undercooked food being served in food premises; bread with molds is still being used to make sandwiches and the unusual odd taste of foods. Although there is a decrease of 12 percent in the unfit food complaints andfour percent in food poisoning, there is also an increase of 10 percent in complaints about incorrect information on food labeling. As an example of which; is the selling of foods in retail outlets even they have exceeded their expiration dates and the lack of displaying allergen information.
The 2,739 complaints include;
- 1,052 complaints on unfit food
- 643 complaints on hygiene standards
- 510 complaints on suspect food poisoning
- 192 complaints on incorrect information on food labeling
- 42 complaints on non-display of allergen information
- 342 other
FSAI said that all complaints were followed up after being reported and is investigated by enforcement officers throughout Ireland. In addition to their report, out of 11,832 requests received by their Advice Line, 49 percent of it came from business asking advice about the different areas related to food.
"In recent years, consumers have become much more conscious about the food they consume and are increasingly vigilant about food safety issues. There is now a low level of tolerance around poor hygiene standards and food that is unfit to eat in particular. This is a welcome development and is reflected in the level of complaints we receive directly from consumers. We continue to encourage anyone who has had a bad food safety experience to report the matter to the FSAI so that the issue can be dealt with." Edel Smyth, FSAI Information Manager, said in their press release.
He also added, "Our Advice Line is an important resource for the food industry where our experts are available to assist food business owners and managers understand their legal requirements. This is supported by our comprehensive website and online publication ordering system which allows food businesses to download publications directly from the FSAI website. We urge food businesses to take full advantage of the information and support provided to ensure they reach their food safety legal requirements."
FSAI's information executive, Clodagh Crehan said the increase of complaints about hygiene standards rooted from the awareness of consumers of their rights saying, "If they do go back all the steps and they realize there is an issue in a particular premise, they may have to serve a prohibition order or close the premises down straight away,"
