FSSAI asks airlines to pull up on quality of food served in flights amid safety concerns

The FSSAI also said that menu labeling was imperative to inform passengers about the contents of the food served, enabling them to make informed choices.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has pulled up airlines on the quality of food being served in flights amid concerns of repeated inflight food quality issues and safety lapses in terms of food served.

The food regulator body met airline officials on June 16 and issued a letter to them after the meeting, as accessed by Moneycontrol.

As per the letter, the CEO, FSSAI directed all flight caterers and airlines 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," it stated.

The FSSAI also said that menu labeling was imperative to inform passengers about the contents of the food served, enabling them to make informed choices.

The food regulator also warned airlines of strict action and surprise checks.

Further, in the meeting, the importance of swift and effective handling of consumer grievances were stressed upon and the airline caterers were urged to establish robust mechanisms for prompt resolution, including corrective and preventive actions to minimize food safety related incidents. The crucial role of the industry in ensuring the safety and satisfaction of passengers was also highlighted.

During the discussion, the need for specialized training programs for catering staff to ensure a comprehensive understanding of food safety and hygiene practices was given emphasis, the letter added.

FSSAI had also written to airlines two months back on similar concerns after complaints of worms being found in food being served in a domestic flight.

Recently, a passenger complained about finding worms in her sandwich aboard a flight, which prompted FSSAI to send showcause notice to the airline.

A few days back too, Air India had said that a metal blade was found in a meal on one of its flights.

"Air India confirms that a foreign object was found in the meal of a guest aboard one of our flights. After investigation, it has been identified as coming from the vegetable processing machine used at the facilities of our catering partner,” Rajesh Dogra, chief customer experience officer of Air India, said.