How Safe Is Your Inflight Meal? Airline Caterer, DO&CO, Inc., Issued FDA Warning Letter, Citing Listeria Concerns

Posted in Listeria,Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on May 14, 2026

The airline caterer, DO&CO, Inc. was recently issued a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Warning Letter for Listeria concerns and other sanitation issues they had not effectively resolved during past inspections.

When flying, you do not really have a much of a choice of onboard meals. Short flights usually consist of a snack bag of some sort and a non-alcoholic drink offering. Longer flights, on the other hand, often include real meals. Especially for business or first-class passengers. DO&CO, Inc., a known airline caterer for meals like these for many different airlines.

These type of caterers are regulated by the FDA. During inspections in 2024 and 2025, the FDA found Listeria contamination and several contributing health code violations. Typically, the matter would end there. The facility fixes their problems, proves they have done so, and they are given a figurative check mark of approval.

In cases where the problems are not fixed, the FDA revisits the company’s responses. In extreme cases, an FDA Warning Letter is issued. This last-ditch effort to get the problems resolved comes before the agency uses their authority to use all of the enforcement actions within their arsenal. Including mandatory recalls, seizure of products, and up to forced closure of manufacturing facilities.

What exactly is an FDA Warning Letter? Why did the airline caterer DO&CO, Inc. issued one? Why is Listeria a concern?

Here’s what we know so far about the FDA Warning Letter Issued to the airline caterer, DO&CO, Inc. and what happens next.

What Is an FDA Warning Letter?

An FDA Warning Letter is an official notice to a company “regarding significant, documented violations of federal regulations, typically following an inspection.”

These letters are issued for things like:

• poor manufacturing
• false marketing
• safety issues
• other major issues identified by inspectors

While these warning letters are time-sensitive, they are also publicly available documents. A response on what has been done to correct the deficiencies or a timeline on correcting them is required. However, often this time period has passed before they are made available on the FDA’s Warning Letter public page.

Who Is DO&CO?

According to their website, the airline caterer offers premium services to over 60 airlines. Including Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, and others. The company has 32 sites worldwide. However, it is unclear how many are under FDA jurisdiction.

At least four airline catering facilities were cited in the FDA Warning Letter.

Listeria monocytogenes and Other Human Pathogens Identified at New York and Detroit DO&CO, Inc. Facilities

As part of the 2024 inspection of certain FDA-regulated DO&CO, Inc. facilities, environmental swabs were collected. The human pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes was identified in those samples. That year, 34 environmental swabs were positive for the germ.

Additionally, Listeria was detected in finished products from the New York and Detroit facilities. Samples from the Detroit facility finished product also revealed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus.

Additional samples were collected in 2025. Listeria monocytogenes was detected in at least some of the airline caterer DO&CO, Inc.’s facilities. Ten environmental samples tested positive at the New York facility. Including those taken from food contact surfaces.

In all, 12 strains of Listeria monocytogenes were identified between the four facilities (Detroit, Illinois, Michigan, and New York). One of which matched a clinical isolate. Meaning someone got sick. Sick enough to seek medical care and get tested for foodborne bacteria.

Based on genetic analysis using whole genome sequencing (WGS), scientists determined that the strains of Listeria monocytogenes at one facility was the same as those at others. Indicating shared contamination across facilities.

Based on the definition in the code in response to inspectional findings and analytical test results indicating Listeria monocytogenes in the main New York facility as well as the Detroit location, the FDA considers DO&CO, Inc.’s ready-to-eat food products “adulterated.” Meaning, “they were prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.”

While the recurring presence of Listeria was a significant factor, the continued problems and poor response to other inspectional findings also prompted this FDA Warning Letter.

Why Is Listeria a Concern?

Listeria is a significant concern because it can make people very sick.

There is a wide range of symptoms for listeriosis. To complicate matters, those who are pregnant often experience different symptoms from those who are not.

Symptoms can appear anywhere from a few hours to 2 to 3 days after eating contaminated food and may persist anywhere from a few days to several weeks depending on the severity of the illness.

Typical symptoms include:

• fever
• muscle aches
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• headache
• stiff neck
• confusion
• loss of balance
• convulsions

Nearly one in six non-pregnant people die from Listeria infections. Those who are pregnant may experience miscarriage, premature delivery, still birth, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

Other Issues Observed and Not Sufficiently Corrected at Airline Caterer DO&CO, Inc. Facilities

During inspections, several other issues were identified. These problems were noted in the inspection report and required attention. Being cited in this Warning Letter is an indication that the response was inadequate.

Some of the other observations indicated in the FDA Warning Letter include:

• Gloved employee touched garbage in a trash bin and continued handling ready-to-eat vegetables without a glove change.
• Employee did not wash hands during glove changes. This was observed throughout each day.
• Employee used a paper towel which was in contact with a soiled conveyor belt to wipe ready-to-eat meal bowls.
• An employee was observed handling a pan of raw bacon and then handling ready-to-eat cucumber and tomato salad without washing or sanitizing their hands.
• Knives were placed in visibly dirty sanitizer water which was also not monitored for sanitizer concentration.
• Inspectors observed temperature deviation in cooler that exceeded four hours holding temperature-controlled foods. No corrective action was noted.
• Employees did not follow in-house temperature monitoring procedures which specify the number of temperature checks required per shift.
• Thermometer during a temperature check did not match the FDA calibrated thermometer, indicating the thermometers being used were out of calibration.
• Among others.

According to the FDA Warning Letter, “this letter is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of violations that may exist at your facilities or in connection with the products.”

Have You Become Sick After Eating Food Prepared by an Airline Caterer?

If you have fallen sick after eating food prepared by an airline caterer, you may have a legal claim. The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Listeria Lawyer that can help!

Medical bills, lost work, and other burdens associated with foodborne illness add up. The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has helped families in situations just like yours recover millions of dollars in product liability and food poisoning cases. They can help you too!

Call (833) 330-3663 or submit your information on the online submission form for a free consultation to go over the details of your situation.

By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)