Irish Food Safety Enforcement Orders See Significant Rise in 2024
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported a substantial 45% increase in Enforcement Orders issued to food businesses in 2024, with a total of 133 orders compared to 92 in 2023. This surge underscores ongoing challenges in maintaining robust food safety standards across the country. The orders, which included 115 Closure Orders, 16 Prohibition Orders, and 2 Improvement Orders, were issued by Environmental Health Officers and other authorised personnel.
Common recurring issues leading to these enforcement actions included inadequate pest control procedures, insufficient cleaning, failure to maintain correct food temperatures, unsuitable food storage facilities, and a lack of proper staff training in food safety and hygiene. Dr. Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI, described the increase as "unacceptable" and stressed that Enforcement Orders are only issued when a serious risk to consumer health is identified or when persistent breaches of food legislation pose significant hygiene or operational issues.
Consumer complaints to the FSAI's Advice Line also saw a notable increase, with 4,996 complaints in 2024, a 13.7% rise from 2023. The most frequent issue reported was "unfit food," accounting for 32% of all complaints, often involving contamination with foreign objects such as plastic, insects, hair, glass, metal, and stones. Suspected food poisoning cases were the second most reported complaint, making up 29% of the total in 2024, a noticeable increase from 23.3% in 2023. Poor hygiene standards constituted the third most reported category.
UK Businesses Face Increased Scrutiny Over COSHH Compliance
In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has intensified its focus on compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002. This comes amid persistent concerns regarding workplace exposure to chemicals and hazardous substances, which contribute to thousands of occupational ill-health cases annually.
Recent HSE statistics indicate that approximately 13,000 deaths a year in Great Britain are linked to past workplace exposure to hazardous substances, primarily chemicals and dust. Furthermore, around 1.9 million workers were suffering from work-related ill health in 2024/25, with an estimated 22,000 new cases of breathing or lung problems caused or worsened by work each year. The estimated annual cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health reached £22.9 billion in 2023/24.
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The HSE has reiterated and updated its guidance on COSHH, urging businesses to review and enhance their procedures for managing hazardous substances. This updated guidance aims to simplify compliance, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), by providing clearer directives on risk assessment, control measures, and health surveillance. Non-compliance can lead to severe penalties, including substantial fines and imprisonment.
Foodborne Illness and Workplace Safety Challenges in the UK
Beyond COSHH, food safety remains a critical area of concern in the UK. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) estimates approximately 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the UK each year, leading to around 16,400 hospital admissions and 180 deaths annually from 11 key pathogens. Norovirus and Campylobacter are the most common causes of foodborne illness, responsible for an estimated 383,000 and 299,000 cases respectively per year.
In 2023, the UK reported 60 foodborne outbreaks affecting 1,500 people, an increase from the previous year. Pathogenic microorganisms, particularly Salmonella, continue to be the most common cause of food safety incidents. Despite these challenges, consumer confidence in the safety of food remains high, with 88% of respondents in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland confident that the food they buy is safe, according to data from April to July 2023.
The HSE has also updated its guidance on the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), placing a renewed emphasis on the accurate and timely reporting of occupational diseases. This is a direct response to the estimated 1.8 million working people suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23. While fatal injuries saw a slight decrease, non-fatal incidents remain a significant concern, with 60,645 non-fatal injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR in 2022/23. The most common non-fatal injuries reported included slips, trips, and falls (29%), handling, lifting, or carrying (18%), and being struck by a moving object (10%).
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