A CONSUMER finding a live snail in their whole chicken was one of thousands of complaints made to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in 2019.
A total of 3,460 consumer issues were handled by their advice line, with over half of those relating to unfit food and poor hygiene standards.
Aside from the snail discovery, other unnerving complaints made by consumers included a caterpillar in pork chops and a butterfly in fresh cream.
Hair was commonly reported to the authority, as well as false nails, small pieces of stone, plastic and metal.
Contamination from insects was also reported several times.
Last year’s complaints ever so slightly outnumbered the 3,424 reported in 2018, although there was a significant increase in the number of reports relating to non-display of allergen information up significantly at 25%.
FSAI chief Dr Pamela Byrne said: "Our advice line continues to be a valuable resource enabling consumers and food businesses to contact us with their complaints or queries around food safety.
"The figures from last year show consumers too are becoming increasingly attentive as to how establishments are expected to operate in terms of food safety.
"By reporting their incidents around hygiene, labelling, food safety practices and pest control, members of the public and people working in the food sector provide us with the information we need to do our work effectively."
Contamination can occur when produce isn't mishandled or not stored properly. Staff failing to wash hands and wearing appropriate clothing can also result in a number of problems.
