Complaints about food safety have increased by almost a fifth in 2022, the Food Safety Authority Ireland has reported.
Among the most shocking complaints were live maggots in fried chicken, a false nail in garlic cheese chips, a live snail in a pack of spinach, and a dirty and possibly bloody plaster in a curry. Other complaints included metal shavings in chicken wings, a piece of glass in coffee beans and part of a disposable glove in a rocky road biscuit.
The FSAI said they handled a total of 7,363 queries and complaints last year: more than 4,000 of them were from consumers, with 31 per cent of complaints relating to unfit food and 28 per cent to poor hygiene standards. Overall, the 2022 complaints saw a nearly 19 per cent increase compared with 2021 figures, continuing an overall upwards trend over the past decade.
