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Irish Eaters Lodge Complaints About Food

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

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.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on March 07, 2011 (boomark / email).