Air Canada Passenger Finds Needle in Sandwich

In the latest round of airline food fiascoes, what appeared to be a sewing needle was found in a pre-packaged sandwich on board an Air Canada flight on Monday, the Toronto Star reports. The flight was bound for Toronto from Victoria, and the needle was found by a passenger.

The incident occurred two weeks after an initial slew of needles—six in all—were discovered in sandwiches aboard four different Delta flights departing Amsterdam, one after it reportedly stabbed a passenger in the mouth.

"Safety is always our top priority so we are taking this matter very seriously," Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said in email correspondence with the Toronto Star. "We immediately contacted the caterers that provision our flights, and a full investigation is under way."

While it's still unclear whether the two incidents are related, the Star reports that the parent company of Gate Gourmet, the caterer for Delta Air Lines and the makers of the sandwiches in the first incident, acquired the Canadian airline caterer Cara Airline Solutions in 2010. Air Canada could not confirm who their current caterer is, but at the time of the acquisition in 2010, Cara Airline Solutions had Air Canada as a client.

It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway), that as fliers we expect a certain level of safety guaranteed from our airlines. As customers, we are subject to more and more rigorous safety checks before we make it to our seats. It's reasonable to expect that the food, and those who handle the food, are subject to the same rigors. Flights are expensive, and a reasonable level of security should come as part of that high price tag. Note to airlines: that means leaving the stabbing implements off the edibles (particularly the edibles travelers now have to pay for).

Photo credit: Air Canada flight via Shutterstock