Airline Passengers Are Sharing Disturbing Pictures Of Food Served

Airplane food isn't always five-star quality, but most passengers don't expect it to be. Several travelers, however, have reportedly been served highly questionable meals on flights and shared photos of their meals on social media.

Food presentation is equally important to the taste of the meal. The food's appearance intrigues the eyes, which makes an individual more inclined to eat the dish. While airline passengers don't expect to receive a gourmet meal, minimum standards are still desired.

Images from airline passengers showed rubbery eggs, slushy baked beans, bland sausages and a cheese sandwich of what appeared to more closely resemble cardboard. The photos also featured a mushy, green substance that was seemingly unidentifiable, among other undecipherable meals.

The airlines' that were dragged for the photos weren't identified in a Friday report from the Daily Mail. One Virgin Australia traveler, however, shared a meal that he was apparently served on a flight from Los Angeles to Australia. The passenger's meal was a pasta dish, though it barely resembled it.

"Not quite Bon Appetite from @VirginAustralia flying back from LA last week," the passenger wrote in a tweet. "Unfortunately I recall having better food from the high school tuck shop."

Virgin Australia attributed the problem to the "limited catering available" at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is a dilemma that also affected American Airlines.

American Airlines recently came under fire for potentially having infected food. Listeria was found in the airline's food preparation area for its caterer, Gate Gourmet, at LAX. This finding reportedly resulted in halted production from Gate Gourmet. Flight attendants were advised to be on the lookout for symptoms of the infectious bacteria.

"Although there are currently no known or reported cases of listeriosis attributed to Gate Gourmet's catering, there will be no further catering of AA flights from this facility continuing for at least a week," according to a letter obtained by Food Safety News on Nov. 1 that was issued to flight attendants by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. "Gate Gourmet will still be providing some services such as the removal of trash as well as the provisioning of wet ice, drinks and some snacks."

Airline food is typically safe for consumption, but travelers should steer clear from ordering tea or coffee. The hot water used in these in-flight beverages come from the tap, not the bottle. Flight attendants typically avoid these drinks because they aren't the healthiest, according to Business Insider.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a survey in 2004 of 158 planes. The evaluation determined that 13 percent of airplanes contained coliform, whereas two aircrafts were determined to have E.coli in the water.

The healthiest airplane food can be found either Delta Air Lines and Virgin America, which both currently share the top spot for serving the most healthy meal options, according to a new study. Air Canada and JetBlue both tied for second place.