The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) announced late last week
that nearly one-fourth of over 10,000 calls received through the
agency’s advice line were information requests and complaints related to
food and food establishments in 2010.
According to a press
release issued by FSAI, the agency received 2,126 food-related
complaints, most of which were reports of unfit food. Second on the
list was suspected food poisoning. Other complaints included incorrect
information on food labels, incorrect advertising of food products, and
poor hygiene.
Food contamination with foreign objects was a
frequent complaint lodged by consumers. Live and dead insects, a tooth,
a needle, safety pins, stones, and a cotton bud were all reportedly
found in food products last year. FSAI sent environmental health
officers to follow up on and investigate all complaints.
“The
increase in our reports is a positive indication of people’s heightened
awareness of their right to expect high standards of hygiene and food
safety in relation to food. We welcome all reports and every single
case we receive is followed up swiftly and directly with the food
business involved,” said Edel Conway, Information Manager at FSAI, in a
written statement.
Conway added, “There is no excuse for a food
business to have poor standards across any area of its production
processes – our advice line is not only a service for consumer
complaints but is also an important resource tool for the food industry
to assist them raise their standards with the best available advice.”
Other
calls that came into the FSAI advice line in 2010 were related to
advice on food labeling, legal requirements for starting a new food
business, food safety training information, food legislation, and
requests for FSAI publications.
