Listeria scare on American Airlines flights
Some American Airlines flights out of Los Angeles are departing without an in-flight meal service due to a food safety scare.
Potentially dangerous listeria was discovered at a catering facility run by Gate Gourmet which is used by the airline.
Corrective action has been taken by the catering facility but American decided to suspend supplies for the time being.
“We made the decision to halt operations out of there starting today. Starting overnight, we began notifying passengers whose catering have been affected by it,” said airline spokeswoman Katie Cody.
Cody said it is looking at bringing in another caterer and providing vouchers as compensation that can be used on future flights.
Health and safety agencies found traces of listeria at the site but not on food and no one has so far reported illness, Cody said.
Areas where traces were found were treated ‘immediately and aggressively’ said Gate Gourmet spokeswoman Catherine Nugent.
The company also provides in-flight catering to several other airlines including Delta.
More than 200 people die from the effects of listeria each year in the US, mostly elderly or those with weak immune systems.
Pregnant women are also susceptible to listeria bacteria.
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