A live insect in a burrito bowl and a snail in a box of grapes were among nearly 5,000 complaints made to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last year.
Meanwhile, suspected food poisoning and food that was unfit to eat were the most complained about issues to the FSAI’s advice line in 2024.
The level of complaints made was up by 13.7% when compared with 2023, which the FSAI said represents an overall upward trend over the past decade.
Around a third of complaints, 32%, were related to unfit food, with 29% of complaints about suspected food poisoning.
Unfit food includes contamination with a foreign object and plastic, insects, hairs and glass were among the most common foreign objects reported to have been found in food by those complaining.
Also among the complaints were a dead spider in a loaf of bread, a large piece of rubber in a protein bar, a piece of glass in a chicken breast, and a pack of muesli full of maggots.
Some other reasons for complaints to the FSAI last year were reports of rodents spotted in businesses, poor personal hygiene with staff openly coughing and sneezing, and staff not washing hands and handling food and money with the same gloves.
The FSAI said its food inspectors followed up and investigated all of the complaints received.
Commenting on the findings, FSAI Chief Executive Greg Dempsey said “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.
“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.”
