A worm in a chicken nugget, a beetle in a burger bun and an animal tooth in jam are just some of the foreign objects that were discovered in foods last year, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has said.

It has just released details of complaints received to its advice line during 2015. Altogether 2,739 complaints were made by consumers in relation to food, food premises and food labeling, which was unchanged from the year before.

However, the number of complaints about food-related hygiene standards increased by 14% when compared with 2014, while complaints about incorrect food labels rose by 10%.

It was not all bad news - complaints about unfit food fell by 12%, while complaints about food poisoning fell by 4%.

The highest number of complaints received by the advice line related to unfit food (1,052), followed by hygiene standards (643) and suspected food poisoning (510).

The FSAI noted that the contamination of food with foreign objects was ‘frequently reported' in 2015. Aside from those mentioned, other noteworthy contaminants included a snail in pick n' mix, a metal screw in a cake and a sharp piece of glass in frozen peas.

Other complaints in relation to unfit food included mouldy bread being used to make sandwiches, out-of-date food being sold in shops and undercooked food being served in food premises.

All complaints received were investigated by enforcement officers nationwide, the FSAI pointed out.

"In recent years, consumers have become much more conscious about the food they consume and are increasingly vigilant about food safety issues. There is now a low level of tolerance around poor hygiene standards and food that is unfit to eat in particular.

"This is a welcome development and is reflected in the level of complaints we receive directly from consumers. We continue to encourage anyone who has had a bad food safety experience to report the matter to the FSAI so that the issue can be dealt with," commented FSAI information manager, Edel Smyth.

Aside from complaints, the advice line also received thousands of calls seeking advice and information. Many of these came from food businesses who sought information about a range of topics, including correct food labeling, training and legislation.

The advice line is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. To contact it, call 1890 33 66 77 or email info@fsai.ie