Live insects, hair and nails: what Irish consumers found in their food

Live insects in desserts, long black hairs in garlic sauces and a human nail in a takeaway meal were just three of the 3,200 things consumers complained about to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last year.

There were also complaints lodged to the authority about rats on premises and deli staff sneezing into their hands and then preparing sandwiches without washing their hands first.

The number of people who made official complaints about food safety issues to the FSAI jumped sharply last year with food poisoning proving to be particularly problematic.

According to its annual report, there were 3,202 complaints made by consumers relating to food, food premises and food labelling last year, an increase of 17 per cent on 2015.

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Rise in food poisoning

The number of complaints about food poisoning jumped by 45 per cent with poor hygiene standards the second highest complaint reported, going up by 34 per cent compared to the previous year.

Complaints about incorrect information on food labelling were up 15 per cent with the number of complaints about unfit food up 7 per cent. Consumer complaints ranged from reports of food unfit to eat, to non-display of allergen information.

Contamination of food with foreign objects was frequently reported by consumers with reports of live insects, hairs, human nails and glass in desserts, plastic rope in a takeaway meal and a cigarette butt in a bag of chips.

Other complaints regarding poor hygiene standards referred to unsanitary customer toilets and dirty tables and floors.

All the complaints received by the authority were followed up and investigated by enforcement officers throughout the country.

Increasingly vigilant

"The statistics continue to show an upward trend with consumers expressing much more concern and being more conscious about the food they consume and are being increasingly vigilant about food safety issues," said the authority's information manager Edel Smyth.

"There is a culture developing amongst consumers, which indicates zero tolerance towards poor hygiene standards and, in particular, food that is unfit to eat. As consumers in Ireland become more vocal about the standards they expect from food establishments, we are seeing a welcomed increase in the level of complaints we receive directly from consumers."