Major Airline Cancels Meal Service After FDA Flags ‘Food Safety Issue'

A major airline was forced to cancel meal service on hundreds of flights after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shuttered the company’s food facility over a “food safety issue,” CBS reported.

A routine inspection of Delta’s Detroit food prep facility on Friday led to the airline temporarily shuttering the kitchen due to a health concern. “During a recent inspection at a DTW [Detroit Metro Airport] kitchen, Delta's catering partner was notified of a food safety issue within the facility,” the airline said in a statement. “Delta and its catering partner immediately shut down hot food production and subsequently suspended all activity from the facility.”

As a result of the facility’s closure, passengers on over 200 Delta flights departing from Detroit Metropolitan Airport between Friday and Sunday were denied meal service. The affected travelers were compensated with travel vouchers or frequent flier miles.

The FDA chalked the closure up to a “food safety issue,” but did not elaborate on the cause. Officials are still working to determine the exact cause of the unspecified issue. Delta added that no customers or employees were sickened in the incident. The airline is currently crafting a contingency plan to continue food service. "Hot food and other onboard provisioning will be managed from other facilities," Delta said. "We will continue to take necessary precautions to ensure food safety."

Delta serves hot meals to all passengers embarking on international flights. First-class passengers or Delta One members are also offered meal service on select coast-to-coast routes.

In July, a Delta flight was forced to make an emergency landing in New York after several passengers were served moldy, spoiled chicken and became ill.