ABSRACT
Aviation food safety is a serious threat to passengers and aircrew alike. Standards exist that can and should be tailored to fit the food service model for each airline. This report covers some of those standards and shows how they apply to aviation food safety. Several events have already taken place in the realm of aviation food safety which have had deadly consequences. This report reviews a selection of those incidents and shows how food safety standards could help to mitigate the risk of the events occurring again.
Keywords: Safety, in-flight meal, food handling
INTRODUCTION
When the topic of aviation safety is discussed, the area of food safety is often overlooked. On the surface, food safety seems to have little to do with aircraft; however, food safety is a critical aspect of any passenger aviation safety program. First and foremost, if the pilots on any flight are served food it had better be safe and not cause them to fall violently ill prior to landing. Next, an aircraft accident according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is defined as, among other causes, an accident that causes serious injury to a person. Serious injury is defined by ICAO as an injury which involves, among other conditions, verified exposure to infectious substances. Therefore, if a person contracts food poisoning on an aircraft, it could be classified as an aircraft accident and be reported and investigated. This would be a “black eye” on any airlines safety record and could cause them to lose thousands of dollars in revenue due to passengers choosing an alternative airline to service their travel needs.
This report will cover several aspect of food safety in the airline industry. The report will also di...
... middle of paper ...
...Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/23/us/cholera-cases-on-jet-up-to-65.html
International Flight Services Association. (2010). World Food Safety Guidelines for Airline Catering. Retrieved from http://www.ifsanet.com/portals/0/WFSG_2010_update.pdf
Millward, D. (2010, September 18). Dozens of pilots falling sick in mid-air every year. The Telegraph [London, UK]. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8009076/Dozens-of-pilots-falling-sick-in-mid-air-every-year.html
National Transportation Safety Board. (2010). Incident Brief OPS10IA001. Retrieved from http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/1692.pdf
Nordheimer , J. (1984, March 23). BRITISH-AIRLINE LINKS POISONING CASES TO POWDER IN HORS D'OEUVRES. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/23/world/british-airline-links-poisoning-cases-to-powder-in-hors-d-oeuvres.html
Poisoning was a big problem in the 1920s of America. “The Poisoner's Handbook” tells a fascinating tale about the early men of toxicology, Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, in criminal investigations and public health. Produced and directed by Rob Rapley, the film, "The Poisoner's Handbook," shows many poisoning stories together which tells a mix of mysterious and heartbreaking deaths. This is evident that humans will use accessible items, including everyday household products, to kill each other. The film integrates the birth of forensic science with the rise of big businesses and local politics. Many murderers roamed free until enough political will was assembled to implement a new medical examiner system in the 1920s.
—- . ”Tyson Foods: Living Food Safety." Tyson. Tyson, 28 Feb 2014. Web. 7 Apr 2014.
The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Kallen, Stuart A. Food Safety. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2005. http://www. Print.
Furthermore, food safety is a major issue in the United States. Foodborne illness has caused an estimated 1 and 6 Americans to be sickened, 128,000 hospitalizations, and cause 3,000 deaths each year (http://www.sustainabletable.org/). These numbers may seem shocking, but they are all too real. All of the high levels
"Food Safety Facts and Figures - Home Food Safety." Home Food Safety. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Web. 23 Feb 2014.
On January 4, 2011 President Obama signed into law The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This law has shed new light on the safety and security of our food supply. The last update to the food safety laws in the United States was in 1938. The food safety modernization act pays special attention at trying to modernize the food safety policies in the United States in hopes to prevent problems and concerns before they happen. As we all know, most of our food comes from overseas or sometimes from your neighboring state. The food products travel by car, truck, airplane, boat, or even train. We are all very happy to be receiving our bananas from Costa Rica and all of our other fresh fruits and vegetables that are imported into the United States, but we never stop to think about what pathogens are contaminating our produce and other foods on the way over and if they are safe for us to eat. In an article by Neal Fortin, he states that the law also gives the FDA new standards to hold imported foods to the domestic food standards and it also encourages the FDA to establish and develo...
Almost every angle of the food industry can be considered dangerous. It is dangerous to make the food, as a meatpacking job is one that is viewed as having abnormally high risks; however when the food is handed over a counter on a tray or prepared in a family of four’s kitchen, it poses a huge risk to humankind. Foodborne illnesses are all too common and almost everybody has the possiblity of contracting a foodborne illness. These are life threatening diseases that need to be monitored and regulated; therefore the enforcement of government regulations in the fast food industry could potentially save many lives that are lost annually due to the numerous factors that need regulation.
Salmonella is one danger that has caused many effects to consumers. Walsh writes about one incident when an outbreak “from tainted peanuts that killed at least eight people and sickened 600,” (Walsh 167). This incident left many people asking the same question, how can we trust the food that we put into our bodies? Salmonella, a type of food poisoning caused by bacteria found on different food types has caused an epidemic because of its domino effect on food and our health. Once one factory is contaminated, that factory could be housing both crops and meat, which is then transferred to our supermarkets and on our dinner tables. ...
Weisburger, John. Hazards of Fast Food. Environmental Health Perspectives. 112.6 (2004) A336 1 Oct. 2007. < http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0091-6765%28200405%29112%3A6% 3CA336%3AHOFF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7 >.
Food-borne transmission refers to any illness that results due to the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous mushrooms (cdc.gov). Bacteria is the most often the pathogen that causes food-borne illness. This is usually due to improper handling of foods, improper preparation of food and improper food storage. According to the CDC, the top 5 contributing pathogens to food-borne illness are Norovirus, non-typhoidal Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter spp. and Staphylococcus aureus.
The public becomes anxious about the food safety for some frequently occurred agriculture products’ safety accidents in recent years. To minimize the hidden danger of
The third weakness is the fact that food tests, inspections, and the detection of contaminants are taken seriously only after an outbreak of some food-borne diseases, food poisoning, or deaths. The increase in the number of food establishments or outlets such as cold stores, hypermarkets, and supermarkets reported by the Public Health Director has also made inspection and control mo...
Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. Food borne illnesses are diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. “In industrialized countries, the percentage of people suffering from food borne diseases each year has been reported to be up to 30%. In the United States of America, for example, around 76 million cases of food borne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year.” (Geneva 2)
Food safety culture society can be considered of comparable significance (3)to administrative consistence and client benefit . On the off chance that any of these three perspectives fizzle , the business itself could come up short (Ungku Zainal Abidin et al , 2013 ) . Numerous businesses additionally lift security to the same or even a larger amount of significance than these as no business can exist without representatives . Food safety highlights in the work environment is another great case of the significance of value affirmation in the public eye today (Taylor , 2011 ) . Regardless of whether it is the honesty of a security bridle for working at statures or the water testing for the city , quality estimations , preparing and framework arrangement can all straightforwardly influence workers and even open (4)wellbeing (Griffith , 2012 ) . Food safety is a logical idea portraying and dealing with , readiness , and capacity of foods in ways that anticipate foodborne disease . This incorporates various schedules that ought to be taken after to stay away from conceivably extreme (5)wellbeing perils (Roberts et al , 2012 )
According to the recent studies around 76 million illness i.e. 325,000 hospitalization in the United States are caused because of food poisoning.