Contaminated airline food served on flights from Honolulu

HONOLULU (AP) -- Contaminated carrots served on several flights out of Honolulu are believed to have caused 45 cases of food poisoning for people in Florida, 21 other states, Japan, Australia and American Samoa.

The outbreak has sparked a lawsuit by an Orlando man against airline caterer Gate Gourmet. Its staff put the carrots in meals served for three days late last August.

Ernie Lyon says in the lawsuit that he developed nausea, diarrhea, cramps, fever and tremors three days after a Northwest Airlines flight from Honolulu to Minneapolis. He tested positive for the Shigella bacteria.

The Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to Gate Gourmet.

The letter cites violations found in a February inspection of Gate Gourmet's Honolulu facility. Problems included pink slime dripping onto a conveyor belt to a pot-washing machine, mold on
refrigerator windows, live cockroaches and flies.

The company provides meals for Northwest, Delta, United, Hawaiian and Aloha airlines.

If the passengers had innoculated themselves by way of a bellyful of Mai Tai's taken liberally before their flights out of Hawaii, they would all be fine. Lightweights.

Trader Woody

That's EXACTLY why I only eat red meat!

I complained to Air Canada for including fish sauce with their vegetarian meal, and I got the standard bedbug letter. Nitwits. I wrote and asked if their kosher meals came with bacon, too.

Fish SAUCED? Yes. Fish sauce? NO!

That's pretty disturbing.
I got food poisoning real bad once when I went to Hawaii - I always thought it was the day old octopus poke (Hawaiian-style sashimi salad, i.e. raw) but maybe it was the airplane food...

Note to self: drink more RUM on the airplane out to paradise (good idea, Trader Woody!)