Baby rats were discovered in a service cart on an Arkia flight returning from Greece to Israel. In unusual documentation circulated on social media, baby rats are seen discovered in the service cart, and the incident triggered many reactions online, leading to an exchange of accusations between the airline and the catering company responsible for the flight equipment.
According to Arkia, the cart in which the baby rats were discovered came from the dry equipment warehouses of the Tamam catering company, and it did not contain food intended for serving to passengers. The company emphasized that immediately upon the discovery of the case, the cart was removed from use, and there was no contact between it and the food served during the flight.
On the other hand, the Tamam company rejected the claims and clarified that the cart contained soft drinks only. According to them, the cart was checked and approved as completely intact before takeoff from Greece. Tamam added that the responsibility for checking the cart before actual use lies with the airline, and directed the responsibility to Arkia.
The incident is under investigation, with both companies presenting different versions regarding the circumstances that led to the discovery of the baby rats during the flight.
Exchange of accusations between Arkia and Tamam
Arkia stated: "The incident was discovered in an equipment cart that came from the dry equipment warehouse of the Tamam company, and not in food intended for serving to passengers. Immediately upon the discovery of the finding, the cart was removed from use and the matter was handled immediately. We emphasize that at no stage was there any contact between the finding and the food supplied to passengers or crew members, and the food loaded onto the flight was not harmed and was not affected by the incident.
"The Tamam company is the catering provider responsible for food preparation, storage, and transportation, and provides catering services to all Israeli airlines as well as to many foreign airlines operating at Ben–Gurion Airport. The responsibility for the warehouses, equipment, sanitary conditions, and quality control in its facilities applies to it fully.
Arkia views the incident with great severity, demands that the Tamam company perform a comprehensive and thorough investigation of the circumstances of the case, and expects to receive full explanations alongside corrective steps that will ensure that an incident of this type will not recur in the future."
However, the Tamam company shook off the blame: "Any attempt to cast aspersion on the Tamam factory, which supplies hundreds of thousands of food portions a month and operates in accordance with the strictest food safety standards, is unacceptable and if necessary will be answered in court.
"The cart in question, which included soft drinks only, was checked as on every flight by an Arkia crew member and a representative of the food factory, who confirmed that the cart was completely intact when loaded. The case was discovered afterwards, during the plane's stopover in Greece.
"The Arkia company must perform an urgent and deep investigation in order to find out how such a serious incident occurs on its planes."