We’ve looked at the pros and cons of consuming Coffee and Alcohol on an airplane. Now, we’ve come across a list of top foods to avoid when flying. You may be surprised at some of them, but there are good reasons for all of them to be on the list…
How many foods that experts say you should not eat while flying
can you spot in this typical tray-top meal?*
When I looked at the list, I wasn’t surprised by most of the entries. After all, we delved deeply into food safety and proper food handling at culinary school. But a couple surprised me. Of course, the reasoning behind their inclusion on the ‘No Eat While Fly’ list made perfect sense when I considered it. I just hadn’t thought about those foods in terms of airline service before.
“In the restaurant industry, food is cooked and served without delay,” Food Safety Expert Jean Dible pointed out to CNBC: “In the aviation industry, food is prepared at a catering company and then packed in insulated containers and trucked to airports to be put aboard the aircraft. Incorrect holding temperatures is the number one reason for food-borne illness on a worldwide basis.” Yes, that’s a lot of transporting, and transferring of the food between different storage environments.
The ‘No Eat While Fly’ list
Here are Dible’s top picks to avoid, and why…
Dairy Foods
Unless in sealed containers (like individual Coffee Creamers or single-serving Milk cartons), dairy products can easily go off during storage and handling. This one’s a no-brainer.
Deli Meats
These are usually served cold and, so, don’t go through a reheating process before serving. That means that any bacteria aren’t killed. On the other hand – and this me speaking, not Dible – Deli Meats are usually self-preserved by Salt curing and are probably not a major risk. Bottom line: the risk, whether large or small, is yours to take or avoid.
Raw Fruits and Veggies
These foods, too, are consumed without cooking or pasteurization that would kill any germs present. And I immediately thought about the likelihood of bacteria and other bad stuff being present. The number one cause of mass food poisonings in the past few years has been Salad Greens contaminated with E. coli and other bugs. I’m sure that airline caterers always wash their Fruit and Veggies well, per industry standards and health department regulations, but there’s always a chance.
To be sure, if you can, get whole Fruits with peels that you can remove yourself just before eating, like Oranges or Bananas.
Seafood
Like Dairy, this one is a no-brainer. Even on a buffet in a solid-ground restaurant, safe handling of Shrimp (one of the most common seafoods served on airplanes) is problematic. This goes for both raw seafood, including Sushi, and cooked seafood served cold, as in Shrimp Cocktails.
“All seafood, but in particular shrimp and oysters, are pretty darn dangerous,” Dible notes.
Rice
Here’s one that many not formally versed in food safety practices would probably not know. Cooked Rice left to sit for any period of time at all without a heat source (such as on a Chinese Buffet) can quickly develop dangerous levels of harmful bacteria. Pre-cooked Rice must re-heated to at least 165 F before serving to ensure that any bacteria are destroyed. Here’s another major vector for the potential contamination of Sushi.
Ice
And here’s one even Food Service experts might miss. Food Service pros are all well aware that dirty Ice-making machines and Ice storage tubs are trouble waiting to happen. But what about on the plane? We’re told that flight attendants don’t receive rigorous Food Safety training. So, they may not wash their hands or put on gloves before scooping your Ice or pouring your drinks. And some Bacteria can survive in and on Ice Cubes.
I consider this potential risk a minor one, especially if you’re getting ice in an Alcoholic drink, which should kill germs. But, on the other hand, is one of beverages to avoid on the plane according to our previous post…
~ Maggie J.
* First, there’s that bottle of Wine. Then, there’s the Raw Veggies at the upper right corner of the tray. The dessert in the upper left corner of the tray may be Cheesecake, which is problematic. And who knows what’s in that gaily decorated box just beside the Wine glass?