FSSAI directs airline caterers to comply with food safety regulations

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) convened a meeting with leading flight caterers and airlines on Tuesday, 16 January 2024 to evaluate and enhance the existing food safety protocols within the airline catering industry. The objective was to identify areas requiring improvement and to reinforce the commitment to providing passengers with safe and high-quality inflight meals.

Acknowledging a common concern regarding the lack of readily available information for passengers regarding inflight food, the chief executive officer, FSSAI directed all flight caterers and airlines to strictly comply with sub-regulation 5(10) (f) and 8(4) of the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. This directive aims to improve transparency by providing passengers with detailed information about the nature, origin and manufacturing-related details of the food served during flights. Further, he highlighted the importance of menu labelling as a powerful tool to inform passengers about the contents of the food served, enabling them to make informed choices.

In the meeting, the importance of swift and effective handling of consumer grievances were stressed upon and the airline caterers were urged to establish robust mechanisms for prompt resolution, including corrective and preventive actions to minimize food safety related incidents. The crucial role of the industry in ensuring the safety and satisfaction of passengers was also highlighted.

During the discussion, the need for specialized training programs for catering staff to ensure a comprehensive understanding of food safety and hygiene practices was given emphasis.

This move aligns with FSSAI's commitment to ensuring the highest standards of food safety and hygiene within the airline catering industr