Food Safety Authority of Ireland warn of wheat in batches of Poco Loco 8 Tortillas Original, same not labelled in English.
Allergy Alert Notification: 2025.A14 Allergen: Cereals containing gluten Product Identification: Please see table below. Batch Code: Please see table below. Country Of Origin: Belgium
Message: The ingredients in the below batches of Poco Loco 8 Tortillas Original are not labelled in English. The implicated batches contain cereal containing gluten (wheat). This may make these batches unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of cereals containing gluten (wheat), and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batches.
Clare Fine Gael TD Mr Joe Cooney is urging the HSE to redress the imbalance of General Practitioner (GP) cover in North Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick, compared with surrounding regions.
Figures released by HSE Mid-West to Deputy Cooney show that there are 258 GPs catering to a population of 385,712 in North Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick, which represents one GP per 1,493 people.
Fine Gael TD Mr Joe Cooney.
GP cover in the region is lower than in Galway/Roscommon/Mayo and Kerry/Cork, which have one GP per 1,387 people and 1,382 people, respectively.
Nationally, there are 3,160 GPs with a public contract, in addition to other GPs, including those who work privately, GPs in training, and International Medical Graduate (IMG) participants.
Deputy Cooney’s request for additional resources to be allocated to the Mid-West comes in light of the ongoing absence of a practicing GP in the village of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Clare’s fifth-largest population centre.
The HSE has been providing locals with a part-time GP service from the nearby Carrigoran House since 2020, following the retirement of the town’s long-serving GP.
Deputy Cooney said he has engaged with HSE Mid-West in recent days to secure a permanent GP service in Newmarket-on-Fergus.
HSE Mid-West confirmed it is actively working on plans to secure permanent GP accommodation in the locality. In the meantime, Dr. Colum Gavin of Saffron & Blue Medical is continuing to provide a GP service to patients on Monday mornings and all day on Thursdays from its current location at Carrigoran House. Outside of these times, patients from the Newmarket-on-Fergus area can be seen at Saffron & Blue Medical Centre at Clareabbey, Clarecastle.
Following representations from the local community in Kildysart, Deputy Cooney said he will also be raising the ongoing part-time locum doctor service being provided by Saffron & Blue Medical Centre in the village, with a view to having a full-time service restored.
“The figures provided by HSE Mid-West show a clear imbalance between the Mid-West and surrounding regions in terms of permanent GP accommodation,” explained Deputy Cooney. “Having received the data to back this up, I will now ask the Minister for Health to increase pressure on the HSE to expedite investment in GP cover across North Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick .”
“In my engagement with the HSE, I was informed that the HSE is working closely with the Irish College of General Practitioners on a range of measures to expand the GP workforce. While I acknowledge that GP training places nationally have increased from an intake of 259 in 2022 to 350 in 2024, it is clear that the Mid-West is not benefiting in the same way as other parts of the country from the corresponding rise in newly qualified GPs. The situation in Newmarket-on-Fergus is a case in point, as the town has been without a permanent GP presence since the retirement of Dr. Colum Hackett in May 2019. Likewise, the local community in Kildysart have contacted me with a view to securing a full-term service,” he added.
“The Strategic Review of General Practice, which is currently being led by the Department of Health, must be expedited so the arrangements necessary to improve access to GP care in larger population centres can be identified and action taken to redress the imbalance”, he concluded
A total of 8,596 complaints and queries were handled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (FSAI) Advice Line in 2024. Announcing details today of the complaints and queries last year, the FSAI stated that there were 4,996 complaints from consumers, with 32% of complaints relating to unfit food and 29% to suspected food poisoning.
Overall, the 4,996 consumer complaints in 2024 represented a 13.7% increase compared to the previous year with 4,395 complaints. The figures reflect an overall upwards trend over the past decade. All complaints received by the FSAI in 2024 were followed up and investigated by food inspectors throughout the country.
Unfit food, which is food that is not safe to eat, was the most frequently reported complaint in 2024. Unfit food also includes contamination with a foreign object. Commonly reported foreign objects in food included: plastic; insects/spiders; hairs; glass; metal; and stones.
Examples of some of the complaints include a large piece of rubber in a protein bar; a dead spider in a loaf of brown bread; a piece of glass in a chicken breast; a pack of muesli full of maggots; a toothpick in a bag of chips; a metal pin in pre-packed prawns; a piece of plastic in a milkshake; a metal nail in a takeaway meal; a snail in a box of grapes; a live insect in a burrito bowl; and a large piece of metal in a chocolate biscuit. Other complaints regarding unfit food cited undercooked meats; food served cold when it should be hot; and foods with “off” tastes or smells.
The second most frequently reported category related to reports of suspected food poisoning making up 29% of the total complaints in 2024. This was an increase on the 23.3% of food poisoning complaints in 2023.
The third most frequently reported category related to poor hygiene standards with reports of rodents spotted in businesses; staff not wearing appropriate clothing; poor personal hygiene with staff openly coughing and sneezing; staff not washing hands and handling food and money with the same gloves; excessive flies and insects spotted in food businesses; generally unclean premises; food not being stored correctly with fridges and freezers not cold enough; and food being stored in boxes on floors.
The breakdown of all complaints are as follows:
Unfit food: 1,597
Suspect food poisoning: 1,449
Hygiene standards: 1,289
Labelling: 169
Others: 156
Allergen Information: 155
Unregistered food business: 81
Mr Greg Dempsey(Chief Executive, FSAI), stressed the importance of making complaints to the FSAI, so that any food safety issues can be addressed. “We welcome consumers and food businesses contacting us via our Advice Line. People reporting inappropriate and unsafe food and practices is vitally important and is an essential component, supporting the work of the food inspectorate to ensure the highest standards and quality across the food chain. The year-on-year increase in complaints to the Advice Line reflects an increased awareness among consumers of the importance of food safety and also demonstrates their zero-tolerance approach when it comes to poor food safety and hygiene standards in food products and in food premises,” said Mr Dempsey.
“Food businesses have a legal obligation to provide safe food and it is vital that food businesses ensure they adhere to the legislation at all times. The FSAI Advice Line, supported by a comprehensive website and learning portal, are important resources for the food industry, and we encourage all food business operators to avail of these free and accessible tools,” added Mr Dempsey.
The FSAI Advice Line also offers advice and information. During 2024, there were 3,600 queries from people working in the food industry, including caterers, food manufacturers, retailers; and others. Popular topics included: how to start a food business; food labelling information; best practice in food businesses; food safety training and several others.
The FSAI Advice Line is contactable through our online complaint form ‘makeitbetter’ or through our online query form. The FSAI Instagram, Facebook and X pages are also resources with up-to-the-minute information in relation to food safety:www.facebook.com/FSAI and @FSAIinfo.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland Warn Of Undeclared Sulphur Dioxide In Batches Of Palm Sugar,
Alert Summary dated Friday, April 11th, 2025.
Allergy Alert Notification: 2025.A13 Allergen: Sulphur dioxide Product Identification: Please see table below. Batch Code: Please see table hereunder.
Country Of Origin: Thailand
Message: Sulphur dioxide was detected in the below batches of Palm Sugar, which is not declared in the list of ingredients. This may make these batches unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of sulphur dioxide, and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batches. The affected batches are being recalled.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) warn of the presence of sulphites, soybeans and possible presence of gluten in specific batches of Milano Drop Skin Drops.
Alert Summary dated Thursday, April 10th 2025.
Allergy Alert Notification: 2025.A12 Allergens: Cereals containing gluten, soybeans, sulphites Product Identification: Milano Drops Skin Drops; pack size: 50ml Batch Code: All batches with no batch code or best before dates. Country Of Origin: Australia
Message: Specific batches of Milano Drop Skin Drops, which do not contain batch codes or best before dates on the product label, are being recalled. The implicated batches contain soybeans and sulphites and may contain cereals containing gluten which are not declared in the list of ingredients. This may make the batches unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of cereals containing gluten, soybeans or sulphites and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batches.
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