When you travel by plane, do you make a point of eating in the airport before you board? When you’re on a short, domestic flight, you may end up snacking on a small bag of pretzels, handed out by a flight attendant. But if you’ve traveled overseas, you’ve probably enjoyed a full meal or two on board, complete with meat, veggies, a side of bread and a small dessert. While it may not taste as good as a meal at your favorite restaurant, chances are that when you’re on a long, international flight, you’re not going to pass up a hot meal. But should you be worried about safety? Is airplane food actually safe to eat?
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The FDA regulates food safety for airline caterers and airlines. However, inspections are required far less frequently than they are for restaurants. The agency is only required to inspect airline caterers every three to five years, and according to an FDA manual, airline food is only randomly inspected “when time and opportunity allow.”
While some states do send health inspectors to airline catering facilities, others say that airline caterers are outside of their jurisdiction. According to an investigation by NBC News, FDA inspectors have found many serious violations in the past four years, including “condensation dripping onto food, fans blowing dust on food, thermometers off by as much as 25 degrees, raw meat contaminating cooked meat, moldy bread, live birds and insects, as well as bird and rodent poop and more at airline catering facilities.”
The NBC News investigation uncovered at least 1,486 food safety citations issued by the FDA to the three major airline caterers — LSG Sky Chefs, Gate Gourmet and Flying Food Group — and 16 airlines since October 2008.
With the lack of frequency airline food and airline catering facilities undergo safety inspections, you may want to think twice about enjoying an in-flight meal. There are enough pathogens on airplanes that can make you sick, and you probably don’t want to add potential food poisoning to the list.