Air Canada passenger finds sewing needle in catered sandwich

A passenger on an Air Canada flight found a sewing needle in a catered sandwich during a flight Monday, the airline said.

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, said Tuesday that the airline is “working closely” with its caterer, which he didn’t name, to “ensure heightened security measures have been put in place.”

The police are investigating the incident, which occurred on a flight from Victoria, British Columbia, to Toronto.

“Safety is always our top priority so we are taking this matter very seriously,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that it appeared to be an isolated incident.

The FBI and Dutch authorities are also investigating reports of needles found in six sandwiches on Delta flights from Amsterdam to the United States two weeks ago.

Gate Gourmet, a 20-year-old company that provided prepared sandwiches to Delta, said the sandwiches originated at the firm’s facility in Amsterdam.

The company said it is one of the caterers that serve Air Canada but not the airline’s provider out of Victoria — from where the flight took off.

“We are cooperating fully with Air Canada and have complied with our customer’s request to its caterers to heighten food safety procedures, including inspection and screening of all products boarded on flights,” said Gate Gourmet spokeswoman Christina Ulosevich. “We are working closely to support our customer, including cooperating with the authorities investigating the incident.”