Delta Needles in Sandwiches: Passengers' Food Contaminated on 4 Flights
Delta needles in sandwiches were found on several flights from Amsterdam, and the airline is cooperating fully with the FBI, who opened an investigation as to the cause of the incident. Implicated too is Gate Gourmet, Delta Air Lines' in-flight caterer.
Delta's needles in sandwiches incident first gained widespread media attention because two passengers were injured aboard a flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis on Sunday. After searching through the batch of 17 sandwiches, which were served to crew and passengers, another needle was found in a turkey sandwich.
Delta took immediate action to make sure no one else was pricked with the needles, telling flights out of Amsterdam to no longer serve them, and substituting the meal with pre-packaged pizza instead. They also turned over the contaminated sandwiches to Customs and Border Patrol.
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"Delta is taking this matter extremely seriously and is cooperating with local and federal authorities who are investigating the incident," a Delta spokeswoman, Kristin Bauer, stated to ABC News. "Delta has taken immediate action with our in-flight caterer at Amsterdam to ensure the safety and quality of the food we provide onboard our aircraft."
Similarly, Gate Gourmet, the U.S. caterer that made the sandwiches in Amsterdam, stated that they were treating the incident "as a criminal act," according to company spokeswoman Christina Ulosevich.
"This is a terribly upsetting situation," she told CNN. "First and foremost is the safety of the traveling public. There's nothing more important to us at all than the safety of the passengers and crews."
They have yet to reveal any action taken against an employee for the crime, however.
The pressure is on to find a culprit, as more needles were found on three other flights besides the one heading to Minneapolis. One teenager- incidentally, the son of a passenger who was injured by a needle- also found a needle in his sandwich, and would not turn it over to authorities. He plans to use the needle as evidence for a lawsuit.
More needles were found on other, separate flights by a federal air marshal and a crew member.
