Listeria Outbreak Scraps Hot Meals On 200 Delta Flights

Photo: Brandon Bell (Getty Images)

Of all the complaints typically tossed at airline food, passengers getting violently sick after a meal isn’t one of them. A catering kitchen at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport was shuttered over the weekend after a food safety inspection spotted a listeria outbreak. The closure had the knock-on effect of leaving 200 Delta Air Lines flights without hot meal service.

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Delta scrambled to find alternative catering services for first-class passengers on its flights out of DTW, POYK reports. The Atlanta-based carrier eventually bought sandwiches from Panera Bread for its highest-paying flyers. Passengers noticing the obvious change shared photos on Reddit with a few mentioning that they didn’t mind the replacement meals. However, it was noted that the boxes weren’t labeled. It was a random draw for the kind of sandwich they were getting. Delta released a statement on the matter reading:

“During a recent inspection at a DTW kitchen, Delta’s catering partner was notified of a food safety issue within the facility. Delta and its catering partner immediately shut down hot food production and subsequently suspended all activity from the facility. Hot food and other onboard provisioning will be managed from other facilities.”

Delta’s catering partner DO&CO is known for providing meals for multiple international carriers as well as VIP hospitality at Formula 1 races. Despite the upscale reputation, the Austrian caterer’s Detroit facility has been a concern on multiple occasions. A Delta flight in July from Detroit to Amsterdam diverted to New York after the crew realized moldy chicken was served onboard. Once the plane landed at JFK Airport, 14 passengers and 10 crew members were assisted by local staff.

The kitchen wasn’t closed after the July incident, according to CBS News. Delta instead decided to serve only vegetable meals “out of an abundance of caution.” I’m surprised neither July nor October’s issues provoked outrage in the air. The unruly behavior of a United Airlines passenger forced a diversion last year after the crew ran out of his preferred meal choice. I guess people are willing to eat whatever know that the alternative is food poisoning.