More than 200 Delta flights departing from Detroit Metro Airport were forced to cancel meal service over the weekend after the Food and Drug Administration ordered airlines to close meal preparation facilities citing health concerns. Ta.
Delta Air Lines said on Friday that FDA officials discovered a “food safety issue” during a routine inspection of a catering partner's kitchen, but did not elaborate further.
“Delta Air Lines and its catering partners immediately ceased production of hot food and subsequently ceased all activity within its facilities,” the airline said in a statement.
The airline said no customers or employees became ill.
The cause of the food safety issue “has not yet been formally determined,” a Delta spokesperson told the Post on Tuesday, but the airline is currently offering hot food options to resume in-flight meal service. He said they are changing the way they prepare both cold and cold foods.
“Hot meals and other in-flight meals will be managed from other facilities,” Delta said, adding that it “continues to take necessary precautions to ensure food safety.”
From Friday through Sunday, passengers on more than 200 Delta flights departing from Detroit were denied food service. CBS News reported.
Delta Air Lines provides hot meals to all passengers on long-haul international flights. First-class passengers on Delta One or certain domestic intercoastal flights will also receive a hot meal, according to the airline's website.
A spokesperson said passengers who did not receive a hot meal were offered travel vouchers or mileage.
The newspaper contacted the FDA for additional information.
In July, a flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport in New York City after dozens of passengers fell ill after being served moldy chicken.
Flight data showed the situation was so severe that the plane made a U-turn to JFK Airport after reaching east as far as Newfoundland.
In a statement at the time, Delta Air Lines confirmed “reports that some portions of the main cabin meal service were damaged.”
