American Airlines launches investigation into moldy food served on flight

American Airlines has opened an investigation into a “moldy and rancid” meal that was allegedly served to a passenger on a recent flight.

The passenger shared a photo of the kosher meal — food that conforms to Jewish dietary laws — in a May 1 post on Reddit under the username Duty_free_USA. The image shows what appears to be mold spots on some pieces of food in a black tray.

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The passenger, who did not reveal his name or location, said this Newsweek that the meal was served on flight AA67 from Barcelona Airport in Spain to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, without revealing the date of the flight. “I think the orange should be salmon,” the passenger remarked.

In a caption shared with the post, the passenger said: “This was not an isolated incident. Every single kosher meal, breakfast and dinner, was moldy and rancid. What should I do?”

A spokesman for American Airlines said this Newsweek: “We are very proud of our food and beverage offering and this meal, which was salmon with vegetables, clearly does not meet American quality standards… our team is investigating this fully.” The airline is working with its catering partners in Barcelona to examine the latest edition.

“We take complaints very seriously and this is the first complaint of this type of kosher meal that we have seen,” the spokesman said, noting that the case was being “thoroughly investigated.”

The latest post comes at a time when the global in-flight catering services market, estimated to be worth $16.01 billion in 2022, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5 from 2023 to 2030, according to a report by Grand View Research. Research and consulting company headquartered in San Francisco will grow 9 percent.

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According to the report, the introduction of ready meals for travelers and increasing demand for catering services on long-haul non-stop flights are the key factors driving the growth.

The report said that airlines around the world are “competing with competitors by setting an appropriate price range for in-flight meals” and that major in-flight catering companies are “taking initiatives to offer meals to culturally diverse passengers.”

In a caption shared with the Reddit post, the passenger claimed that when they approached a flight attendant about the food matter, “he said if I was unhappy with the food then I should contact the kosher food manufacturer directly and.” that.” Isn’t that a problem for American Airlines? Is the flight attendant right? Or should I contact American Airlines about this issue?

Asked about the flight attendant’s alleged reaction to that passenger, the American Airlines spokesperson said, “It’s also something we’re investigating.”

She noted: “We are not just looking at the food portion (of the recent incident), but also the passenger’s experience and the steps they took. The team is working to speak to the affected passenger to get the full information and resolve it with them.

It still needs to be confirmed what actually happened to the food and whether it actually had mold, as mentioned in the Reddit post, and whether the passenger would receive a refund for the meal.

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The spokeswoman said she “cannot confirm anything at this time” as the investigation is ongoing and “there are not many details we can share as we are still in the process of gathering information.”

She noted: “We are taking this very seriously to ensure it does not happen to other passengers.”

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