Airline caterers told to maintain highest standards

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all leading airlines and airline caterers to provide passengers with detailed information about the nature, origin and manufacturing-related details of the food served during flight journeys.

It also highlighted the importance of menu labelling, so that the passengers could make an informed choice. Menu labelling is the listing nutritional information on menus.

The airlines were also asked to establish robust mechanisms for prompt resolution, to minimise food safety incidents.

The directions have come after some fliers in recent times complained of finding cockroaches and worms in their food. On December 29, 2023, a passenger had complained that a sandwich served to him in an IndiGo flight had live worm in it. FSSAI had served a notice to the airline in this regard.

FSSAI on Tuesday held a crucial meeting with airlines and airline caterers, with a view to strengthen food safety measures within the airline catering industry and provide passengers with safe and high quality in-flight meals.

Acknowledging that a common concern about the lack of readily available information for passengers regarding in-flight food, FSSAI chief executive officer Ganji Kamala V Rao directed all flight careers to strictly comply with sub-regulation 5(10) (f) and 8(4) of the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.

“This directive aims to improve transparency by providing passengers with detailed information about the nature, origin, and manufacturing-related details of the food served during flights,” a statement said. Rao also highlighted the importance of menu labelling.

“In the meeting, the importance of swift and effective handling of consumer grievances was stressed, and the airline caterers were urged to establish robust mechanisms for prompt resolution, including corrective and preventive actions to minimise food safety-related incidents, “ the FSSAI said.

The meeting also highlighted the crucial role of the industry in ensuring the safety and satisfaction of passengers. “The need for specialised training programmes for catering staff to ensure a comprehensive understanding of food safety and hygiene practices was emphasised,” the statement said.