The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) received 2,739 food complaints in 2015.
This represents a 14% increase in complaints about poor hygiene standards to its advice line.
The complaints related to food, food premises and food labelling.
The FSAI says while the figure was largely unchanged on 2014, the number of complaints about hygiene standards increased.
Complaints about incorrect information on food labelling were up 10%, while the number of complaints about unfit food was down 12%.
And complaints relating to food poisoning were down 4%.
Consumer complaints ranged from reports of food unfit to eat, to non-display of allergen information:
- 1,052 complaints on unfit food
- 643 complaints on hygiene standards
- 510 complaints on suspect food poisoning
- 192 complaints on incorrect information on food labelling
- 42 complaints on non-display of allergen information
- 342 other
Contamination of food with foreign objects was frequently reported by consumers.
In 2015, these reports included allegations of food contaminated with dead insects and metal, as well as other foreign objects.
Taking just some examples - an animal tooth was found in jam, a beetle found in a burger bun and a worm was found in a chicken nugget.
In other cases, a metal screw was found in a cake, and a sharp piece of glass was discovered in frozen peas.
Other complaints regarding unfit food referred to undercooked food being served in food premises, out-of-date food being sold in retail outlets and mouldy bread being used to make sandwiches.
Of the requests received, 49% were from food businesses seeking advice and information.
