FBI investigating needles found in sandwiches on Delta flights
Jul 17, 2012, 6:00 AM | Updated: 7:05 am
A food preparation employee places fruit into a fruit and cheese plate inside the Delta Airlines Gate Gourmet facility. (AP Photo/David Kohl)
(AP Photo/David Kohl)
The FBI is investigating after needles were found in turkey sandwiches on Delta Air Lines flights from Amsterdam to the United States.
“Delta has taken immediate action with our in-flight caterer at Amsterdam to ensure the safety and quality of the food we provide on board our aircraft,” says Delta spokesperson Chris Kelly Singley.
Delta says what appear to be sewing needles were found in five sandwiches Sunday. One passenger on a flight to Minneapolis was injured.
The other needles were on two flights to Atlanta and one to Seattle.
“We have removed the sandwiches in question and while the investigation is underway, we’ve replaced that meal with some prepackaged options,” says Kelly Singley.
FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmett in Atlanta confirmed Tuesday that the agency is investigating but declined to comment further.
The Transportation Security Administration says it’s closely monitoring the situation. The agency said it immediately notified U.S. carriers with flights from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
The sandwiches were made in the Amsterdam kitchen of catering company Gate Gourmet.
Gate Gourmet spokeswoman Christina Ulosevich said the company has gotten no reports of similar incidents on any of the other airlines it serves out of Amsterdam. She said the company did not yet know how the needles got into the sandwiches.
Gate Gourmet issued a statement saying, “We take this matter very seriously, and we have launched our own full-scale investigation.” It also said it was “heightening our already stringent safety and security procedures, to prevent any recurrence.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
