Recent FDA airline food inspections provide evidence of widespread food safety violations. Although airlines themselves do not prepare the food, inspections show that large airline catering companies have fallen short of established food-safety standards.
Investigation
In 2010, USA Today discovered that FDA inspectors found food-safety violations "too numerous to count" in major airline food catering kitchens. Such violations included the presence of cockroaches, flies and rodent droppings in catering kitchens. Airline caterers provide food to multiple carriers and no airlines were specifically named in the article.
Results
Citations were issued to airline catering giants Gate Gourmet, LGS Sky Chefs and the Flying Food Group. Catering company and airline spokespersons indicate that measures have been implemented to ensure airline food safety.
Previous Incidents
In 1984, British Airways reported more than one hundred cases of salmonella poisoning among airline passengers, crew and ground personnel. The food-borne illness outbreak raised concerns that intentional airline food contamination, similar to an airplane disaster in scope, could adversely impact airline operations.
Tags: airline food, airline catering, catering kitchens, food inspections, food safety