Droppings in a bag of crisps: our disgusting food sales
CHEWED gum in a sandwich wrap, mice droppings in a bag of crisps and a tooth in a takeaway dish are just some of the disgusting examples of unsafe food sold to unsuspecting consumers in the past year.
And examples of the worst activities of food workers serving customers are little better. They include staff wiping their noses when preparing sandwiches, and picking up dropped food from the floor and putting it in a sandwich.
A stomach-churning 3,400 consumer complaints were handled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s advice line last year, with more than a third of them about ‘unfit food’.
Worryingly, the number of complaints rose by 200 on the 3,200 reported in 2016.
Other foreign objects found in food included a long black hair in a sandwich, a piece of glass in a smoothie, and a wasp in a pack of rashers.
FSAI chief Dr Pamela Byrne said: ‘Having people spotting and reporting inappropriate and unsafe food and practices greatly aids our work.
‘The year-on-year increase in our advice line statistics reflect a continued trend where consumers have zero-tolerance when it comes to poor food safety and hygiene standards.’
There were complaints about poor hygiene in food premises – with rats, mice and flies were often reported. Other complaints included ‘poor personal hygiene habits’ and ‘the smell of sewerage’, the report said. The highest increase in a specific type of complaint was the number relating to non-display of allergen information, which was up ‘significantly’ by 42%.
Explaining that there is a ‘legal requirement for allergen information to be displayed’, Dr Byrne pleaded with consumers to become more aware of what they should expect from food sellers.
The FSAI also said there was ‘a considerable increase’ (17%) in complaints relating to incorrect information on food labels.
All complaints received by the FSAI were investigated by food inspectors.
The FSAI’s Advice Line – 1890 33 66 77 – also had 9,576 queries from people working in various aspects of the food industry. The most common queries were on food labelling requirements, requests for FSAI publications, and information for new food businesses setting up operations.