Beetle In Burger Bun, Animal Teeth In Jam Among Food Complaints In Ireland

Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) revealed that complaints about poor hygiene standards have increased in 2015. These include animal teeth in jam, beetles in a burger bun, worms in a chicken nugget and a metal screw in a cake.

Irish Times reported that there were 2,739 food complaints lodged by Irish consumers in 2015, based on FSAI's annual review. While the figure is almost unchanged compared to 2014, complaints about poor hygiene standards have notably increased by 14 percent. These complaints include food contaminated with dead insects, metal and other foreign objects.

Aside from poor hygiene standards, there were also complaints about unfit food, food poisoning and incorrect information on food labeling. There were also several complaints about non-display of allergen information, undercooked food served in food outlets and moldy breads used in making sandwiches.

In the report, FSAI said all complaints were followed up and investigated by enforcement officers throughout the country. They also added that they received about 49 percent of requests for advice by telephone and 40 percent by email.

Clodagh Crehan, FSAI's information executive, said the surge of complaints about hygiene standards can be attributed to the consumer's awareness about their rights. She added that all matters were thoroughly investigated even the odd ones.

"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," Crehan disclosed.

On the other hand, Edel Smyth, FSAI information manager, told the Irish Examiner that they have a low level of tolerance for poor hygiene standards, especially for food that was unfit to eat. "This is a welcome development and is reflected in the level of complaints we receive directly from customers."

"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," Smyth stated.