If you thought airline food tasted bad before, wait until you read this unappetizing bit of information.
USA Today obtained the FDA inspection reports on 91 kitchens that belong to the three caterers that prepare the food served on nearly every major airline -- more than 100 million meals annually.
Federal inspectors found more roaches -- living and dead -- than they could count at a kitchen operated by LSG Sky Chefs in Denver. They also found ants, flies and the Listeria bacteria... along with employees who were handling this already-filthy food with their bare hands.
And that's just the beginning.
At an LSG Sky Chefs facility in Minneapolis, the feds found rodents' nests and rodent poop throughout the joint. That's in addition to actually seeing a mouse while they were there.
Inspectors at a Gate Gourmet facility in Dulles, Virginia found coliform -- poop bacteria -- in the rice. They also found shrimp, meats and cheeses being stored at improper temperatures.
That's not even close to the full list of unsanitary conditions in these kitchens. Twenty-seven of the 46 facilities USA Today obtained records for were cited for food-preparation violations or objectionable practices.
Next time you fly, do yourself a favor and brownbag it -- assuming you're still allowed to do so.
Not joining this mile-high club,
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
________________________________________
USA Today obtained the FDA inspection reports on 91 kitchens that belong to the three caterers that prepare the food served on nearly every major airline -- more than 100 million meals annually.
Federal inspectors found more roaches -- living and dead -- than they could count at a kitchen operated by LSG Sky Chefs in Denver. They also found ants, flies and the Listeria bacteria... along with employees who were handling this already-filthy food with their bare hands.
And that's just the beginning.
At an LSG Sky Chefs facility in Minneapolis, the feds found rodents' nests and rodent poop throughout the joint. That's in addition to actually seeing a mouse while they were there.
Inspectors at a Gate Gourmet facility in Dulles, Virginia found coliform -- poop bacteria -- in the rice. They also found shrimp, meats and cheeses being stored at improper temperatures.
That's not even close to the full list of unsanitary conditions in these kitchens. Twenty-seven of the 46 facilities USA Today obtained records for were cited for food-preparation violations or objectionable practices.
Next time you fly, do yourself a favor and brownbag it -- assuming you're still allowed to do so.
Not joining this mile-high club,
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
________________________________________
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