New York Senator Charles Schumer has called upon the Food and Drug Administration to bring stricter punishment against airline caterers who violate health codes. Which, we found out earlier this week, is pretty much all of them.
According to USA Today, the three major caterers—LSG Sky Chefs, Gate Gourmet and Flying Food Group—were all reported to have unclean facilities and employees with poor hygiene—yes, even right here in New York. One LSG Sky Chef facility in Denver really rose the bar, however—the FDA found live and dead roaches "too numerous to count." Other facilities were essentially breeding grounds for flies and mice.
Under Schumer's proposed regulations, stiffer fines would be put in to place, and any caterer with repeat health code violations would be banished from the U.S.! (Or, at least U.S. airports.) He said those conditions "would never be tolerated at a restaurant, [and passengers] should not have to accept a lesser standard just because their food is served on a plane." In that case, bring in the rats?
