According to a survey, many people in Ireland do not know how to complain to the authorities about unclean food or poor hygiene practices.
A study commissioned by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) found that nearly two-thirds of adults don’t know what to do in such a situation. The poll was conducted by Coyne Research in May of 1,000 people nationwide.
The FSAI has launched an awareness campaign called “See Something, Say Something” to emphasize the consumer’s right to safe food.
Unveiled to mark World Food Safety Day on June 7, the campaign has an online presence and includes videos encouraging people to complain if they encounter unsafe food or poor hygiene practices when buy food or go out to restaurants.
Complaint via the FSAI website
The survey also showed generational differences when it comes to making complaints about unsafe food or poor hygiene practices, with people aged 54 and over being the group least likely to complain. have already done. When faced with a problem, Millennials, or people aged 23 to 37, are the least likely to know how to file a complaint.
Reporting a concern about a food company or product can be done via the FSAI website by completing an online complaint form.
Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI, said food safety is important to those who grow, process, transport, sell, prepare and serve food.
“It’s great to see from our research that three-quarters of adults are confident about the level of food safety in Ireland, and almost 2 in 5 already know how to make a complaint if they’re a victim of food improper or poor hygiene practices. Our new campaign, See Something, Say Something, gives the public the knowledge they need to file a complaint,” she said.
Byrne also reminded companies looking to change their processes to increase sustainability of the importance of food safety.
“It’s great to see so many producers and suppliers taking steps to become more sustainable, but this can never come at the expense of food safety. We urge food businesses to ensure they meet their legal food safety requirements and should also take full advantage of the information and support provided by the FSAI and other authorities,” he said. she stated.
Revised hygiene guide for caterers
At the same time, an updated guide to good food hygiene practices for businesses in the hotel, restaurant and café sector was unveiled in Luxembourg.
The HORESCA Federation presented the guide, first published in 2014, with the Minister of Consumer Protection, Paulette Lenert, on the occasion of World Food Safety Day.
It covers chemical, physical and biological hazards, allergens, staff hygiene, food storage as well as labeling and can be viewed here.
The update includes new technological and regulatory developments and allows operators of HORECA establishments to adapt their working methods to the current level of knowledge in order to offer consumers a high level of protection in terms of food safety.
The Government Commissariat for Food Quality, Safety and Fraud and the Ministry of Consumer Protection also organized a conference on official controls in the food chain with 250 participants.
Six themes were discussed including animal feed; animal wellbeing; microbiological safety; food hygiene and novel foods. The presentations are available by following this link.
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