FDA Warning Letter to LSG SkyChefs (World’s Second Largest Provider of Airline Catering Services)
January 2nd, 2010Yum.
Via: FDA:
At the conclusion of the inspection, on October 6, 2009, the FDA investigator issued a list of Inspectional Ohservations (FDA-483) to your firm. As documented on this form (copy enclosed), the following are the significant violations at your airline catering facility on which we base the “Provisional” classification:
• To comply with 21 CFR 1250.30(a), all places where food is prepared, served, or stored must be constructed and maintained as to be clean and free from flies and other vermin. However, our investigators observed numerous live roaches, dead roaches, and other insects, as well as food, and other debris, in various locations, including the following:
• Cart wash area – Live and dead roach-like insects too numerous to count (TNTC)
• Silverware station – At least 40 live roaches as well as other insects
• The hot kitchen – At least eight dead and one live roach insects were observed in and around the walls of the hot kitchen
• Repack area – Live roaches (TNTC), as well as ants
• Pots and pans warewashing room – At least four live and dead roaches, flies
• Dish machine wash area – At least 13 dead roaches inside the machine loading area and 31 or more dead nearby the machine
• Wash area – At least four live roaches on walls and floors
• To comply with 21 CFR 1250.32(a), all food-handling operations must be accomplished so as to minimize the possibility of contaminating food, drink, or utensils. However, our investigators observed the following:
• Employees handling food with bare hands or with unwashed gloved hands
• Water dripping from the ceiling into equipment/utensil cleaning areas
• Gaps from 1-2.5 inches under garbage room doors, receiving dock doors, and outbound dock area doors
• Standing water in the garbage room
• Accumulation of debris in various areas such as in the ice pit, dairy cooler, dish machine area, and automatic cart wash area
• Holes in wall surfaces, creating areas for insect and vermin harborage
• Debris and standing liquid inside the automatic cart wash machine…
It goes on.
Researh Credit: dilinger
Just when I thought processed food couldn’t get nastier I suddenly discover they’ve been spraying beef with AMMONIA to try to kill the e. coli and other bacteria ( http://www.nola38.com/business/sns-ap-us-beef-ammonia,0,462273.story ). What about the irradiation, are they doing that as well? How many ways can you destroy food and still pretend it’s the safest thing for us all and the only smart way to feed people?
I knew airline food had a special taste to it. Mmmmm, cockroaches. Gotta love that extra protein. 🙂
On transcontinental flights, you are pretty much at the mercy of the kitchen. Short runs, we can wait a while. I wonder about the terminal restaurant kitchens hygiene as well, after looking at this report. But I no longer fly in pressurized aluminum tubes.