A dead mouse in a punnet of strawberries, a shard of glass in a loaf of bread, and flies around baked goods were among almost 4,400 consumer complaints to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's (FSAI) advice line last year.
A total of 7,732 complaints and queries were handled by the support line in 2023, with the number of complaints increasing by 8.3% to 4,395, which the FSAI said continues an overall upwards trend over the past decade.
There were 1,404 complaints about poor food hygiene standards, making up 31.9% of all complaints.
These included staff not having their hair covered during food preparation, staff handling food and cash with the same gloves, and visibly dirty facilities or premises.
There were also complaints of flies around baked goods on the counter and rodents spotted in the premises.
Food being unfit for consumption made up 27.2% of all complaints. This included food being contaminated with a foreign object.
A snail in coleslaw, a dead mouse in a punnet of strawberries, and worms in frozen dumplings were among the items found in food.
Other foreign objects found in food last year included a metal pin in a prepacked salad, a shard of glass in a loaf of bread, a piece of bone in a chocolate bar, and a stone in black pudding.
Suspected food poisoning was the third most frequently reported category.
Other complaints made to the FSAI related to food labelling, allergen information and unregistered food businesses.
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FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne said it was important that people made complaints about food safety so that issues can be addressed.
"While routine inspections are carried out regularly, reports from the public help to identify specific issues, ensuring swift identification of potential threats to public health.
"The increase in complaints reflects a growing awareness among the public of their right to safe food and the importance of high standards of food safety and hygiene," she said.
All of the complaints made to the advice line in 2023 were followed up by an inspector, which Dr Byrne said: "makes sure that consumers have assurance that any complaints that they make to us will be followed up and any action then that's required to be taken against the business will be taken."
There were 92 enforcement orders issued to businesses last year, 15 more than the year before, but Dr Byrne said "it's quite difficult to connect the complaints to actual closures".
The FSAI advice line also offers advice and information. There were 3,337 queries relating to training, best practice in food businesses and information on how to start a business.
