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Get Your Barf Bag: FDA Says Airline Food Prep Unsanitary
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 29, 2010
Modified Jun 29, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 29, 2010
Modified Jun 29, 2010
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Your biggest fear while flying should be the food, according to some new scaremongering reports out there. A recent analysis of FDA inspection records found that in-flight food often encounters roaches, flies, mice and unsanitary conditions on the way from the kitchen to your folding table (often times the employees handling it don't even have a place to wash their hands!). And guess what... LaGuardia, JFK and Newark were all cited for violations.
One food prep facility, LSG Sky Chef at LaGuardia, told WCBS they make 405 million meals a year and "have comprehensive and multilayered quality control standards in place to ensure our customers receive safe, healthy and high quality food." However, the FDA records do show violations all over the map—at another company, Gate Gourmet, they found food was kept at unsafe temperatures, equipment wasn't cleaned, and there was black residue in the kitchen and on the ice machine. Consultant Roy Costa told USA Today, "In spite of best efforts by the FDA and industry, 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."
Some slight comfort, New York doesn't seem to be the worst of the worst as far as these conditions go. Six months ago one FDA inspector found live roaches and dead roach carcasses in an LSG Sky Chef facility in Denver. How many? "Too numerous to count." Samples from the kitchen servicing that airport tested positive for listeria, which can be fatal to some. So to be on the safe side, just get the Cinnabon before hopping on board next time.
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airline
airplane food
fda
food
meal
unsanitary
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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