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Cigarette butts, insects, and human hair were among the foreign objects discovered in Irish food products in 2016, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

According to its annual report, which was published today, the authority received more than 3,000 complaints from consumers relating to food, food premises or food labelling last year.

Among the worst made by consumers were complaints of food contaminated with insects and glass, a live insect found in a packaged dessert, and a long black hair in garlic sauce.

Complaints about 'unfit food' made up the highest proportion of complaints, accounting for 1,126 of the 3,202 total.

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This was followed by complaints about hygiene standards (864), suspected food poisoning (741) and incorrect food labelling (221).

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Other complaints included a human nail found in a takeaway meal, glass found in a dessert, plastic rope discovered in a takeaway meal, and a cigarette butt found in a bag of chips.

Meanwhile, the FSAI also received a number of complaints from the public regarding poor hygiene standards in a number of food outlets.

These included dirty toilets, tables, and floors, rats on the premises, and in one case, a staff member at a deli sneezing into their hands and then preparing sandwiches without washing their hands.

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Speaking at the launch of the report, Chief Executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne said last year was the first of a new three-year strategy which aimed to ensure the safety of consumers across Ireland.

She said: "At its core, our strategy’s vision is to continually ensure safe and trustworthy food for everyone.

"We seek to focus on protecting consumers through leading a collaborative food safety community to continuously raise food standards and create a culture of excellence in Ireland where the food industry not only complies with the regulations, but seeks to exceed standards."