GRUBBING A BITE..

Maggot-infested muesli among FSAI food safety complaints

- BY RUARI SCOTT BYRNE

A DEAD spider in a loaf of brown bread and a pack of muesli full of maggots were among almost 5,000 consumer complaints made to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's advice line last year.

A total of 8,596 complaints and queries were handled by the support line in 2024, with the number of complaints increasing by almost 14% to 4,996, which the authority said continues an overall upwards trend over the past decade.

All complaints received by the authority in 2024 were followed up and investigated by food inspectors throughout the country.

Food being unfit for consumption made up 32% of all complaints. This included food being contaminated with foreign objects, the most commonly reported being plastic; insects/spiders, hairs, glass, metal and stones.

A dead spider in a loaf of brown bread, a piece of glass in a chicken breast, a pack of muesli full of maggots and a toothpick in a bag of chips were among the 1,597 complaints of unfit food made last year.