Food regulator FSSAI inspects flight kitchens following live worm fiasco

Indigo says it has undertaken a review of catering partner's production, packaging processes

Food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has inspected major flight kitchens across the country after a sandwich with a live worm was found on an IndiGo flight recently, top officials said.

Indigo, on its part, also undertook a thorough review of its catering partner's production and packaging processes, the company said in response to an email questionnaire sent by Business Standard.

The live worm in one of the in-flight refreshments caused a furore in social media and elsewhere with netizens questioning the sanitisation process. Following the episode, the FSSAI had issued a show cause notice to the airline and sought an explanation.

“With reference to the show cause notice from FSSAI, IndiGo regrets the incident and has already taken steps to avoid such incidents in the future. As part of these measures, IndiGo has undertaken a thorough review of its catering partner's production and packaging processes. In addition, a comprehensive refresher of sanitisation protocols has also been conducted with the catering partner. IndiGo remains committed to providing its passengers with the best possible in-flight experience and ensuring compliance to all food and hygiene standards,” Indigo said in a statement shared with Business Standard.
 

Majority of flight kitchens in the country are run by three big companies — Oberoi Flight Services, TajSATS and Ambassador's Sky Chef.

Oberoi Flight Services confirmed that its facility was inspected and the unit scored 94 per cent on various laid-out parameters by the authorities.
 

“A surprise check was conducted by officials of the Central Food Safety Office and a team of FSSAI, Mumbai, on January 2. The unit scored 94 per cent on various parameters by the authorities. Minor suggested improvements by the officials will be implemented immediately by the unit,” a spokesman of Oberoi Flight Services told Business Standard in response to the queries sent to them.
 

TajSATS, the 50:50 joint venture of the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) and SATS, and one which runs the highest number of flight kitchens in India, told Business Standard that it did not cater to Indigo’s flight concern.

“We are always committed to serving the highest quality food following all safety, quality and hygiene protocols. We are part of various audits from the statutory and other authorities, which keep happening on a regular basis,” the company said in an official statement. 

Ambassador's Sky Chef did not respond to the email queries of Business Standard.
 

Sources said FSSAI is looking to tap the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) to ensure that such incidents aren’t reported in the future.