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It added that the flight kitchen operators and In-Flight food service providers shall comply with the FSS Act, 2006, and the Rules and Regulations, including the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.

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The authority also stated that in its surveillance drive to inspect the supply chain of food served to in-flight passengers, it observed discrepancies in the description of ‘Kind of Business’ in the FSSAI licenses.

“It has been observed that food is being prepared by flight kitchen operators, which are caterers located in and around the vicinity of the airports, and then transferred through specialised vehicles like insulated refrigerated vans/wagons to the flights. In the flights, food is then served to passengers of that particular flight through the staff of the airlines, which is inflight food services,” it added.

“Numerous complaints have surfaced in recent times regarding the poor quality of food and beverages served during flights. One notable incident involved the discovery of maggots in sandwiches served on an IndiGo flight, which garnered widespread attention after a passenger shared a video of the ordeal on social media. Following this incident, the FSSAI issued a ‘show cause notice’ to IndiGo for serving what was deemed ‘unsafe food’ to the passenger,” said aviation rights activist Adv. Yashvant Shenoy, highlighting the necessity of stringent advisory issued by FSSAI.

A FSSAI official requesting anonymity said, “To prevent such incidents and uphold food safety standards for passengers, the FSSAI is closely monitoring the entire in-flight food supply chain. Amidst observed irregularities, we have adopted a stringent approach, issuing clear guidelines to airlines to ensure the provision of safe and high-quality food during flights.”