China News Service, March 15 (China News Business Reporter Zuo Yuqing) People depend on food.
Food safety is a major basic people's livelihood issue and also a key focus area of "3·15".
Recently, Ms. Shi told a reporter from China News Service that she ate a foreign object in the in-flight meal provided by the airline, and questioned whether the meal preparation process was safe.
"On March 14, when I was flying from Shanghai to Beijing on China Eastern Airlines MU5123, I ate a rope out of the fried rice provided on the plane. The light was relatively dark at the time, and it looked like a dark green nylon rope."
She told reporters that she immediately checked all the meals distributed.
"The rice is sealed. It cannot be brought from other places. It must have been in the package from the beginning."
Photo provided by interviewee.
Ms. Shi told reporters that after she reported her feedback to the flight attendant, the flight attendant initially offered to change her meal. After being refused, another person in charge came to communicate.
"She said she was sorry and they didn't know what was going on. The solution she proposed was to give me a business class meal, and then I said I couldn't eat anymore and there was no need to get me another meal."
Subsequently, the person in charge proposed a points compensation plan, but Ms. Shi also rejected it.
"The service attitude of the staff of China Eastern Airlines is very good, but the compensation is not important to me. I just want to know where the rope came from, how it was brought in, and is the process of making in-flight meals safe?"
The "Compensation Confirmation" presented by Ms. Shi shows that the above-mentioned "compensation plan and basis" is 4.3.1 Meal Issues in the "Service Rapid Recovery Operation Procedure".
In this regard, Ms. Shi expressed doubts: "I couldn't find this so-called operating procedure on the Internet. What is the basis for the airline's compensation?"
In response to the incident of a passenger eating a nylon rope from an in-flight meal, a reporter called China Eastern Airlines’ customer service on the 15th, and the other party responded that “the matter has been recorded and a person will respond later.” As for which catering company provided the meal, and why. There was a foreign object in the food, and the staff said it was not clear yet.
In addition, the relevant procedures performed on the aircraft are China Eastern Airlines’ internal operating procedures.
Industry insiders told reporters that at present, China's aviation food suppliers are basically controlled by aviation groups, or invested and established by airports, with a small number of third-party catering companies involved.
The "Compensation Confirmation Letter" presented by Ms. Shi.
Photo provided by interviewee.
The reporter checked the official website of China Eastern Airlines Group and noticed that the group's investment companies include "Eastern Airlines Food Investment Co., Ltd." and "Shanghai Eastern Airlines Food Co., Ltd." is the holding company of the above-mentioned company.
The official website of "Shanghai Eastern Airlines Catering Co., Ltd." shows that it has two catering buildings in Pudong and Hongqiao, with a total construction area of 48,500 square meters, more than 2,100 employees, and an average daily catering volume of more than 90,000 meals.
The reporter called Shanghai Eastern Airlines Catering Co., Ltd. several times, but no one answered.
So, if a foreign object is eaten in an in-flight meal, who should the passenger contact?
Yan Bing, senior partner of Times Jiuhe Law Firm, told reporters that flight meals are usually purchased from third parties, and the foreign matter in the relevant meals should be caused by the manufacturer.
However, given that airline meals are ancillary services during the performance of the transportation contract between the airline and passengers (whether paid separately or not), the airline is the operator of this food safety incident, and consumers have the right to choose to submit complaints to the airline or Meal producers assert rights.
Article 148 of the "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates: If a consumer is harmed by food that does not meet food safety standards, he or she may demand compensation for losses from the operator or the producer.
Producers and operators who receive compensation requests from consumers shall implement the first responsibility system, pay first, and not shirk the responsibility; if it is the producer's responsibility, the operator shall have the right to recover compensation from the producer after making compensation; if it is the operator's responsibility, the producer shall compensate shall have the right to recover compensation from the operator.
Therefore, “if a consumer produces food that does not meet food safety standards or operates food that he or she knows does not meet food safety standards, in addition to claiming compensation for losses, consumers may also demand compensation from the producer or operator for ten times the price or three times the loss. If the amount of increased compensation is less than one thousand yuan, it will be one thousand yuan." Yan Bing said.
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