Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog on May 21, 2025
Frequently fliers often have to worry about airplane food safety more than the normal traveler. Those who trek across the country regularly for work or fly long distances more so than others.
Restaurants have local and state health departments. Food manufacturers have the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).
But who inspects kitchens at 3500 feet?
According to the FDA, this task is assigned to the Office of Inspections and Investigations (OII). Essentially, FDA inspectors. So, there is some oversight. Though the amount of oversight may surprise you. And not in a good way.
The regulatory branch assigned to airplane food safety is OII. The OII is a large organization that doesn’t just focus on airplane food safety and related inspections, but a slew of other inspection activity.
It is an organization with over 196 offices, across 50 states and 5 US territories, and 93 countries. Along with eight U.S. Postal Service International Mail Centers. The agency conducts around 30,000 inspections each year. Inspections for “food, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, biologics, and tabacco products in the United States and around the world” take place.
So, not just airplane food.
While most restaurants and food manufacturers are subject to annual inspections, with the possibility of spontaneous inspections in response to complaints, airplane food safety inspections are a bit farther apart.
Around three years apart.
“The FDA requires inspections at least every three years for airline catering facilities.”
That is a long time between inspections. Especially for a facility that may have limited refrigeration and sanitation space. Adherence to safety protocols may be arguably more important in the air than on land.
During an airplane food safety inspection, inspectors are looking at temperature control, whether there is a designated handwash sink, how utensils are handled, and signs of pests. Among other things.
But potable (drinkable) water is one of the other major concerns.
Water does not just magically appear on the plane. Every step of water transfer and storage is an opportunity for contamination. From the water trucks to the tanks and containers they are moved to, and all of the hoses and piping. It is a complex ecosystem. One that germs would love to thrive in.
Ensuring proper protective equipment and gloves are used when connecting these hoses or transferring water is very important. As are sanitation activities for water storage containers.
Every step is an opportunity to maintain safety or introduce risk.
Planes have added variables not observed under normal restaurant conditions.
The reason I say that safety protocols in the air are more important lies in the nature of the meal situation.
When you order from a restaurant, you assume that the food is being prepared fresh and delivered promptly to your table.
When it comes to airplane meals, they are generally catered.
These meals are prepared offsite and then require temperature control while it is being transported and then again when it is brought to the plane.
Whether food is kept warm or refrigerated so that it can be reheated before serving, temperature control is a big deal.
It is important for food to be kept out of the “danger zone.” While we are talking about planes, this isn’t a Top Gun reference. But I’m sure Maverick and Goose don’t want food poisoning either.
The danger zone is the temperature between 40° F and 140° F. Cold foods should be kept below 40° F and hot foods should be kept above 140° F.
Germs like Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Staphyloccus aureus grow rapidly in that danger zone temperature. Studies have shown that the number of bacteria present can double in as little as 20 minutes. A rate that can quickly increase bacterial count to dangerous levels. This is how most cases of food poisoning take place.
The delay between preparing or heating food and the time it is served becomes a problem. If hot food doesn’t stay hot and cold food doesn’t stay cold, people can get sick.
How long can these temperature deviations take place?
Collected food safety recommendations say two hours. That drops to one hour if the ambient temperature is above 90° F. But let’s hope that your airplane cabin does not get that warm. That is an entirely different problem.
In the digital world and information at the speed of Internet literally at our fingertips, when things go awry, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
In fact, a brief Internet search for food safety issues on planes in 2024 alone brought forth some fairly gross examples.
A Delta airlines flight from Detroit to Amsterdam served up moldy chicken from Do & Co Kitchen. This sickened more than a dozen passengers.
An Air India passenger posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) that depicted a dead cockroach in her omlet. An ingredient that was certainly not included on the nutritional panel.
On a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Norway to Spain, a mouse “scampered” out of a meal and scurried off. Pretty sure the stowaway was not wearing a hairnet.
E. coli on a Delta flight and reports of “unsanitary practices” by British Airways caterers, and so much more. The list goes on and on. In fact, there are entire subreddits on the topic.
After researching this topic, I have firmly decided to either pack my own food or grab something from the restaurants at the food court. Though I am hoping that those food establishments are inspected on a more regular basis.
Will you do the same? Or take your chances at 35,000 feet?
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Have You Ever Wondered Who Is Responsible for Airplane Food Safety? I Bet You Do Now!,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)