Is airplane food safe to eat? What you need to know before your next flight.
Navigating the Skies: Uncovering the Truth About Airplane Food Safety
When it comes to air travel, the safety of airplane food is often an overlooked concern. However, with the unique challenges involved in serving hundreds of meals in a confined space with recycled air, it's crucial to understand the potential risks and precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable flight experience.Elevating Your Inflight Dining Experience: A Comprehensive Guide
Mitigating Contamination Risks: The Importance of Proper Food Handling
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the sourcing, preparation, and storage of airplane food, ensuring its safety, no system is flawless. Incidents like the Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to Amsterdam in July, where an emergency landing was required due to "spoiled food" that sickened passengers, serve as a stark reminder that occasional lapses can occur.To minimize the risk of foodborne illness, it's essential to be aware of the specific challenges faced in the high-altitude environment. "Overall, inspections regarding plane food preparation do not occur frequently," explains Jen Dunphy, a doctor in public health. "Operational changes and environmental conditions can also lead to issues with how the food is stored, leading to food poisoning incidents."One of the primary concerns is the potential for contamination. Foods that require refrigeration, such as dairy products or cold seafood, may not always be stored at the correct temperature throughout a long flight, increasing the risk of bacterial growth. To mitigate this risk, Dunphy advises avoiding raw seafood, undercooked food, and anything that needs to be kept cold, like a shrimp cocktail. Bringing your own prepackaged snacks or meals purchased inside the terminal can be a safer alternative for those concerned about germs.Navigating the Inflight Culinary Landscape: Identifying Potential Pitfalls
In addition to the risks associated with contamination, certain types of foods can also pose challenges during air travel. According to Paul Janowicz, a pilot for Delta Air Lines, spicy foods often cause irritation and discomfort for passengers during the flight."Generally our menus onboard are very mild, but I would not pack any snacks that might have spice involved as it may cause stomach discomfort in-flight," Janowicz warns. The same goes for fried food, which "usually has higher sodium involved, which dehydrates the body and can also cause symptoms like gas and bloating."Meats, in general, are a riskier choice in the air, as Darin Detwiler, an associate teaching professor of food policy at Northeastern University, explains. "It's tough to tell if chicken is bad just from looking at it," he says, adding that sauces and flavoring can easily mask any off smells or tastes. To ensure the safety of chicken, a food thermometer would be required to verify that it's fully cooked – something most passengers don't have access to on a flight. As a result, Detwiler suggests that it might be best to skip chicken on planes altogether and opt for a safer option, such as pasta.Navigating the Murky Waters of Airplane Water and Ice
Concerns about the safety of airplane water, particularly on international flights, are also common. However, Dunphy clarifies that the risk is relatively low when flying domestically in the U.S."Drinking tap water or ice in the United States should be fine," she tells Yahoo Health. "However, if a plane is coming from a foreign country known for having contaminated water, such as Mexico, you should avoid ice and tap water — bottled water is OK — because the plane may source tap water from the country it is departing from."In 2011, the U.S. government introduced the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule, requiring airlines to regularly test their water supplies for harmful bacteria. However, a 2019 Airline Water Study evaluated water quality on 11 major and 12 regional airlines, and found that while Alaska Airlines and Allegiant Air offered the safest water, JetBlue and Spirit Air ranked at the bottom. The study raised concerns about a possible "lack of enforcement" from the Environmental Protection Agency, which has issued few penalties in recent years.Flight attendant Kat Kamalani's viral TikTok video in 2021 offered a simple rule: "Never consume any liquid that is not in a can or a bottle," explaining that airplane water tanks are "never cleaned and they are disgusting." Given that water tanks and pipes are "rarely cleaned unless they are broken," Kamalani said even flight attendants tend to avoid drinking coffee or tea on planes.Addressing the Elephant in the Cabin: Rodent Concerns
Concerns about possible rodent infestations, like those that led to the grounding of SriLanken Airlines and India Air flights earlier this year, can understandably cause anxiety among passengers. However, Dunphy reassures that rats should not be a significant worry for travelers."Rodents on planes are exceedingly rare and should not be a concern to the majority of airline patrons," she says. "Any reports of this occurring are likely freak incidents that will be thoroughly investigated. Additional protective measures will likely be put in place to prevent even rare incidents of reoccurrence."While the thought of rodents near airplane food may be unsettling, Dunphy emphasizes that these instances are exceptionally rare and swiftly handled by airline staff and regulatory authorities. Passengers can rest assured that their inflight dining experience is generally safe, with the occasional hiccup being the exception rather than the norm.
