Some 55 per cent of the 25,336 food establishments inspected during 2001 were found to have infringements of food legislation, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's annual report for 2001.
Although most infringements were minor and were dealt with by written or verbal warnings, more serious breaches resulted in legal action under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act.
The majority of infringements, 9,757, were found in the service sector, but more than half of the 5,243 retailers inspected were in breach of regulations.
Sampling of ready-to-eat foods in 2001 found that approximately 1 per cent of them were considered to be "unacceptable or potentially hazardous" - a figure similar to that for 2000.
The report found hospitals and residential institutions accounted for most outbreaks of infectious intestinal diseases, such as those caused by salmonella bacteria.
Hospitals and residential institutions had 15 of the 56 outbreaks, with hotels and guesthouses being responsible for 13 cases. Takeaway restaurants and cafes accounted for seven cases.
During 2001, 56 outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease were investigated and reported, representing an increase of over 50 per cent on the number of investigations in 2000.
The report said that a total of 2,250 people were reported ill and viruses were the most commonly reported causative agent compared to previous years.
Of the 56 outbreaks, 34 were thought to have been caused by either food or water; such outbreaks affected over 1,220 people.
FSAI chief executive Dr Patrick Wall said the incidence of salmonella continued to fall in 2001. There were 448 clinical notifications, compared to 640 cases the previous year.
There were 1,244 notifications of food poisoning incidents other than salmonella in 2001, a reduction of 20 per cent on the 1,554 recorded the previous year.
"The majority of these are thought to be due to campylobacter, which is not yet a notifiable disease," Dr Wall noted.
The report said 2,713 food complaints were received by the authority in 2001 and 592 of these were related to sporadic incidents where food poisoning was suspected. The remaining complaints related to the establishments or to food sold there.