Airline food prep found potentiallyazardous

Airline food as been the butt of endless jokes since the dawn of commercial aviation, but now a newly obtained report makes the jokes not so funny anymore. According to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report obtained by USA Today under the Freedom of Information request, FDA inspectors found unsanitary conditions at several facilities where airline food is prepared.

Some of the most serious health violations occurred at the Denver facilities of the world’s largest airline caterer, LSG Sky Chefs. The FDA alleges that live cockroaches were found in the facility along with dead ones “too numerous to count.” Also discovered at the plant were flies, ants, food stored at improper temperatures, and employees who were handling food in an unsanitary manner.

According to consultant and public health sanitarian Roy Costa, “the situation with in-flight catered foods is disturbing, getting worse and now poses a real risk of illness and injury to tens of thousands of airline passengers on a daily basis.”

Also implicated in the report were two other caterers, Gate Gourmet and Flying Food Group. Collectively the three companies operate dozens of kitchens which supply more than 100 million meals annually to carriers like Delta, JetBlue, American, Continental, and US Airways. Upon learning of the violations, the three caterers issued statements defending their preparation standards and promising to rectify the issues.

On the positive side the FDA says the number of warning letters it has been sending to airline caterers has fallen in recent years. Much of that is due cost-cutting measures the airlines are employing which have resulted in fewer in-flight meals being prepared.