WestJet and food allergies

[PAXboy]

Two friends recently used the LGW-YYZ and return on WestJet and found all aspects (in Y) to be just fine. Execept food details.

Both of them asked what was in the meals oferred. The CC did not know. They asked to see the list of allergens list. This drew a blank. As one of the pax has worked in commercial catering for many years - they knew what they were expecting to see. In the end, they ate little of the food and had taken the precaution of bringing food with them.

I have just looked through the WestJet website and the details are scant other than:
WestJet food products may contain traces of peanuts or other allergens.
But the crew had no detail or support to offer. No alternatives. If you have known allergies, you might want to be careful and take your own food.

[rog747]

Whilst I do commiserate your Pals had an issue, surely Pax who are affected in this rather delicate and high area of a safety conscious food situation I would have thought should not rely on any airline food being allergy free, surely?
They do have a web page on this - https://www.westjet.com/en-gb/special-needs/allergies
as do BA too.

In which case if one is sufficiently worried and affected by food allergy (s) then take your own grub is a bit of a no-brainer....Or try to order a SPCL meal if one is 100% suitable....

[SWBKCB]

But the crew had no detail or support to offer. No alternatives.

Surely if you were that concerned you'd sort something out in advance of the flight rather than just turning up on the day and expecting the crew to have alternatives on hand?

If you have known allergies, you might want to be careful and take your own food

As recommended by Westjet at the link posted above by rog747

[Uplinker]

In an ideal World, this is something that should be easy to fix - a list of ingredients. However, the crews and the airline won't know either. The catering is delivered in bulk by a third party catering company, in frozen boxes, which are put into the ovens, then onto dishes.

Crew food does have a (very long) list of ingredients, that we can read, since crew food is given to us in its original packaging - no posh dishes for us !


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1280x960/0b04c581_3eec_4209_8abd_09775c840fdf_7cdedbe48b1021d1a96e291 e20b1a025c02515ae.jpeg


However, probably nobody has thought of this - would you expect any better response if you asked the same question in a pub or a cafe serving food? Air crews at airlines I flew for do have a detailed pre-flight briefing, and are made aware of those with peanut allergies for example, since that presents a medical risk, (and the cabin crew are extensively trained in first aid, including anaphylactic shock and use of epi-pens and defibrillators).

It is sadly, not an ideal World, and having alternatives in today's very competitive environment is not going to happen - beyond perhaps "chicken or beef?". So as others have said, those with allergies are well advised to take their own precautions, (and a doctor's letter if necessary).

Am a bit alarmed to notice sodium ferrocyanide in that crew "meal" pictured above, which I subsequently ate. Isn't cyanide a poison ??

[redsnail]

Wiki sheds some light on what Sodium Ferrocyanide. It's an anti caking agent and in the quantities used in food, not harmful.

[PAXboy]

As I stated, they DID take their own food, in case.

[IBMJunkman]

Safe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_ferrocyanide