More than 5,200 consumer complaints about food safety were submitted to a dedicated service in Belgium in 2024.
The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) consumer contact point received 5,222 complaints. This is up from 4,865 complaints in 2023.
In 2024, 21 complaints per working day were received. FASFC said this demonstrates that food safety is a major concern among consumers. Approximately one-third of complaints fell under the hygiene category. These are from people who have concerns about the general cleanliness of an establishment, staff hygiene, or the presence of pests.
The second largest group of reports is from people who have become ill and believe this is because of consumption of a particular food. Concerns relating to storage methods came in third.
Handling of complaints and questions
FASFC, also known as AFSCA or FAVV, considers complaints to be important signals of potential food safety problems so they are handled as a priority by inspectors, who visit the implicated site.
More than 90 percent of complaints were handled by FASFC within 30 days. In 49 percent of inspections undertaken following a consumer message, the issues raised were found to be justified. Also, in 6 percent of inspections, violations other than those mentioned in the complaint were found.
The contact point also deals with questions. In 2024, 4,322 questions were submitted, equating to 17 per working day.
Questions cover a range of topics such as information on labels, the risks associated with consuming recalled products, and hygiene.
Consumer questions allow FASFC to understand what is happening among the public and to respond through awareness-raising campaigns.
David Clarinval, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Agriculture, said the figures demonstrate increased consumer vigilance and a system that works.
“A record number of complaints and questions means that the contact point is fully playing its role: listening, responding effectively, and strengthening food safety in Belgium. This positive dynamic encourages us to continue our efforts to guarantee citizens ever safer and more transparent food,” he said.
FSA renews Sciensano contract
Meanwhile, Sciensano, the Belgian Public Health Institute, has been re-appointed as the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Northern Ireland.
The contract will start from April 2025 for four years. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) picked Sciensano as NRL for Northern Ireland in November 2021.
An initial agreement covered Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). The new contract expands services to also include foodborne viruses, Coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Following Brexit, some EU legislation continued to apply to Northern Ireland. This means the FSA, the agency responsible for food safety and hygiene in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, must appoint NRLs for food and feed in Northern Ireland within an EU member state to meet European requirements.
Sciensano will work with other authorities and support official laboratories by providing scientific and technical expertise and advice.
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