Blade-like object in-flight meal: FSSAI issues improvement notice to TajSATS

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on Thursday issued an improvement notice to flight catering company TajSATS after a passenger found a blade-like object in a meal served onboard an Air India flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco.

The incident occurred on June 9, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted an inspection at TajSATS Bengaluru from where the food item was supplied. "We have issued an improvement notice to TajSATS, following a detailed inspection at TajSATS Bengaluru," FSSAI CEO Kamala Vardhana Rao told.

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, an improvement notice can be issued to a food business operator if it has failed to comply with any regulations and is required to take measures within a reasonable period. The company has been asked to comply with the improvement notice within 15 days, he said. Air India and its catering partner TajSATS are owned by the Tata Group, The airline on Monday had "deeply apologised" for the incident, saying that it came from the vegetable processing machine used at the facilities of its catering partner TajSATS.

The food safety authority found that the blade was from an automatic vegetable cutter that accidentally got displaced and stuck inside the vegetable piece. To prevent similar incidents, Rao said TajSATS has been instructed to take corrective actions, including the installation of x-ray machines, and manual vegetable chopping, besides strengthening of inspection and maintenance processes. In the recent past, the FSSAI issued an improvement notice to Indigo. FSSAI held several meetings with airlines and food suppliers, asking them to comply with the food safety norms, he added.