The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) received just under 5,000 complaints from consumers on a range of food issues in 2024, an increase of almost 14% on the year before.

The FSAI said today (Monday, April 14) that there were 4,996 complaints from consumers in 2024, with 32% of complaints relating to unfit food and 29% to suspected food poisoning.

Overall, the 4,996 consumer complaints in 2024 represented a 13.7% increase compared to 2023, with 4,395 complaints.

The figures reflect an overall upwards trend over the past decade, the authority said.

Among the other issues for which consumers complained, there was 169 complaints related to labelling, and 81 complaints related to "unregistered food businesses".

The type of complaint, and the number of complaints made for each, is broken down as follows:

Unfit food - 1,597;
Suspected food poisoning - 1,449;
Hygiene standards - 1,289;
Labelling - 169;
Allergen information - 155;
Unregistered food businesses - 81;
Others - 156.

Unfit food, which is food that is not safe to eat, can include contamination with a foreign object, with commonly reported items including plastic, insects, spiders, hair, glass, metal, and stones.

Examples of unfit food for which complaints were made in 2024 include: a piece of rubber in a protein bar; a dead spider in a loaf of bread; a piece of glass in a chicken breast, a toothpick in a bag of chips; and a piece of metal in a chocolate biscuit, along with several alleged instances of live insects in food.

Undercooked meats, food served cold when it should be hot, and 'off' tastes and smells were also cited as examples of unfit food in the 2024 complaints.

Examples of hygiene standard failings, meanwhile, included: rodents on premises; staff not wearing appropriate clothing; poor personal hygiene of staff; staff not washing hands; unclean premises; incorrect storage of food; and fridges and freezers not being cold enough.

Commenting on these complaint figures, FSAI chief executive Greg Dempsey said: "We welcome consumers and food businesses contacting us via our advice line.

"People reporting inappropriate and unsafe food and practices is vitally important and is an essential component, supporting the work of the food inspectorate to ensure the highest standards and quality across the food chain," he added.

"The year-on-year increase in complaints to the advice line reflects an increased awareness among consumers of the importance of food safety and also demonstrates their zero-tolerance approach when it comes to poor food safety and hygiene standards in food products and in food premises," Dempsey said.

The FSAI advice line also offers advice and information. During 2024, there were 3,600 queries from people working in the food industry, including caterers, food manufacturers, retailers, and others.

Frequently occurring topics included: how to start a food business; food labelling information; best practice in food businesses; and food safety training, among several others.