FDA identifies food safety issues at Delta food preparation facility

Over the weekend, Delta Airlines shut down its Detroit food service facility after discovering food safety issues, denying in-flight food service to passengers on a number of flights.

On Friday, officials from the Food and Drug Administration were conducting an inspection of the airline’s Detroit food service facility when they discovered food safety issues, per CBS News .

Due to health concerns, the FDA ordered the airline to shut down the facility.

Details on what the food safety issue was have not yet been released. The airline hasn’t yet identified the cause.

The airline and its catering facility immediately began shutting down all operations, per CNBC .

No customers or employees have been affected by the issue.

Because the facility was shut down, passengers on more than 200 Delta flights out of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport did not receive hot meals.

Typically, all passengers on Delta’s long-haul international flights are offered hot meals and first-class passengers are offered hot meals on some domestic flights from coast to coast, per the Independent .

Delta offered frequent flier miles and travel vouchers to the passengers who were on the flights that didn’t receive hot meals.

Changes being made to Delta’s food preparation

According to CBS News , Delta has announced it will be making changes to its hot and cold food preparation in order to avoid food safety issues.

The airline will prepare its in-flight meal service from other facilities.

In a statement, the airline said it will be taking every precaution to ensure food safety.

Delta’s food issues earlier this year

This weekend was not the first time Delta has had food safety issues this year.

In July, a Delta flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was diverted to New York’s JFK airport after issues with some of the in-flight food, according to CNN .

The passengers on the flight were served moldy chicken, which caused several passengers to become ill, forcing an emergency landing of the flight, per the CBS News.

After the flight landed, medical personnel met the plane to treat passengers.