Food contamination during air travel presents unique risks to those affected. Foodborne pathogens can cause serious illness among all on board, and potentially jeopardize flight safety. These risks are likely to increase with current trends of “densification” and a predicted massive expansion of air travel. While aircraft are being equipped with ever newer designs with a focus on efficiency and comfort, regulations remained largely unmodified in terms of basic hygiene requirements. Strict guidelines for food hygiene exist for on-ground food settings and catering kitchens. There is uncertainty about hygiene standards on board commercial aircraft, and little regulatory oversight of what happens to food in-flight. In two hypothetical scenarios we indicate the potential risks associated with poor food handling practice onboard aircraft, with the ultimate aim of bringing aviation food safety in line with on-ground regulations. Changes in cabin design alongside adequate training in safe food handling have the potential to increase public health protection. We urge a review of existing in-flight hygiene protocols to better direct the development of regulation, prevention, and intervention measures for aviation food safety.

乘飞机旅行期间的食品污染给受影响的人带来了独特的风险。食源性病原体会在所有机上引起严重疾病，并有可能危害飞行安全。随着当前“致密化”趋势以及预计的航空旅行大量扩张，这些风险可能会增加。飞机配备了以效率和舒适度为重点的更新设计时，在基本卫生要求方面，法规基本上未作修改。对于地面食物环境和餐饮厨房，存在严格的食品卫生准则。商用飞机上的卫生标准尚不确定，对飞行中的食物发生什么情况的监管很少。在两种假设的情况下，我们指出了飞机上不良的食物处理习惯可能带来的潜在风险，最终目的是使航空食品安全与地面法规保持一致。机舱设计的变化以及对安全食品处理的充分培训可能会增强公共健康保护。我们敦促对现有的机上卫生规程进行审查，以更好地指导制定航空食品安全的法规，预防和干预措施。