Delta Investigates Spoiled Food Served During International Flight

Delta Air Lines is investigating spoiled food that was served during an international flight. The incident happened early Wednesday, July 3, on a Detroit to Amsterdam flight with 277 passengers.  

The flight was then diverted to New York upon the advice of medical experts after crew members learned some economy passengers had been served spoiled food. CBS shared photos of the alleged spoiled food, but Delta didn’t confirm the authenticity of the photos. The airline said that it is investigating what went wrong. 

Delta spokesperson Anthony Black said that the airline hasn’t determined the exact number of people who consumed spoiled food. 

Spoiled Food

Emergency medical workers were on standby at the John F. Kennedy International Airport at around 4 a.m. when it landed. After examining more than a dozen passengers, no one was sent to the hospital, according to Delta. It also added that members of the flight crew didn’t eat the food. 

It said in a statement, “Delta’s Food Safety team has engaged our suppliers to immediately isolate the product and launch a thorough investigation into the incident.”  Delta added, “This is not the service Delta is known for and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travels.”

Because of the incident, around 75 international Delta flights  “moved to a pasta service” based on the review of the airline’s meals. 

Airlines get their meals from outside vendors. Here, hot meals are cooked in advance and then either frozen or kept cold. It is then reheated on the plane when it is ready to be served to passengers. Black didn’t reveal the name of the catering company but said that “there are multiple catering components under review.” 

According to health experts, reasons for spoiled food include incorrect handling or cooking. However, food poisoning is not a common issue on planes.