The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) convened a meeting with major stakeholders in the airline catering industry to identify areas of improvement and reflect upon how to enhance the overall standards of food safety. The meeting, led by FSSAI CEO Kamala Vardhana Rao, issued directives like labelling food items and display regulations, to ensure that the passengers are fully informed of the contents of the food they’re consuming, at all times.
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The exercise in question prompted leading caterers and airlines to evaluate their current standards and enhance safety protocols as a way of reinforcing a commitment towards providing high-quality meals to passengers flying with them. The discussion also emphasised on the importance of taking immediate and effective action for consumer grievances for the airlines, whereas airline caterers were asked to set up a mechanism where occurrences of food safety-related incidents were little to none. One of the suggestions as part of this directive included providing adequate training for catering staff to ensure that everyone was on the same page as far as hygiene in food preparation processes were up to mark.
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In an official statement released by the regulatory body, it mentioned that, ‘This move aligns with FSSAI’s commitment to ensuring the highest standards of food safety and hygiene within the airline catering industry.’ The meeting that was conducted in New Delhi, was following an incident where a passenger had reportedly discovered a worm in their sandwich, on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai. In addition to the FSSAI sending a show-cause notice to Indigo airlines following the mishap, the directives have been the next actionable plan that sets the ball rolling in the direction of better service and hygiene of the highest order for food service.