A FINGERNAIL FOUND in a cake, a battery found in a pack of almonds and a slug in a noddle dish: these are just three of the complaints and queries that were handled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in 2025.

In total, the FSAI handled 9,882 complaints, with 6,135 of those complaints coming from consumers. This is a 23% increase in the number of consumer complaints from 2024.

33% of complaints related to unfit food while 28% of complaints were about poor hygiene standards.

Unfit food refers to food that is not safe to eat and this was the most frequently reported complaint last year.

This category also includes food that has been contaminated a foreign object. Some examples include a fly floating in a milk bottle, a staple found in an Indian meal and a live moth in a bag of salad.

Poor hygiene practices

The second most frequently reported category were about poor hygiene practices. Common complaints under this category included rodents being spotted in food businesses, staff not wearing appropriate clothing and staff smoking in their aprons.

Food being stored incorrectly with freezers and fridges not being cold enough also appeared on the list of complaints the FSAI received.

Meanwhile, food poisoning was the third most frequently reported category in 2025, making up 26% of total complaints. 

Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive of the FSAI, said that public reporting of food safety concerns plays a vital role in supporting the work of the food safety inspectorate and is an important part of how the organisation protects public health.

“We greatly value the contribution of consumers in bringing potential issues to our attention, as these reports provide essential information that complements the work of Environmental Health Officers, veterinary and agricultural inspectors, sea-fisheries officers, and laboratory services,” he said.

“While routine inspections and food sampling programmes remain a core part of our regulatory activity, complaints allow us to quickly identify and respond to specific risks, ensuring that any potential threats to food safety are addressed without delay.”