Air Canada Passenger Alleges She Received 6-Month-Old Beef, But Critics Argue She Misinterpreted Date Format

An Air Canada traveler recently raised concerns after claiming she was served food that appeared to be months past its date on a flight. However, online viewers quickly pointed out that the confusion might stem from how dates are formatted differently in the U.S. compared to other countries.

Kerry Schwartz, who posted a video on TikTok on November 13, 2025, shared her experience: When youre flying Air Canada and realize after finishing your meal that the beef they served expired 6 months ago. Pray for me. In the clip, Schwartz shows her food packaging, displaying a date of 06 11 25 on a plastic bag and BEEF 05/11/2025 on foil.

Commenters suggested she was reading the dates in the American style, month-day-year, rather than the day-month-year format used elsewhere. Those dates are actually November 5th and 6th, 2025! one viewer noted. Another humorously added, Oh Americans, how boring our lives would be without you .

Some defended the airline, pointing out that frozen airplane meals can remain safe for months. Schwartz told media outlets that a flight attendant confirmed the food had been stored for six months but was safe to eat. She explained, however, that the bread was very hard and the meal looked and tasted unusual, so they decided not to continue eating it. She added that her boyfriend experienced a minor stomach upset the following day.

Food safety experts support the idea that properly packaged frozen airline meals are generally safe long past the printed date. Randy Worobo, a Cornell University food science professor, noted that packaging designed to prevent moisture loss allows frozen foods to remain safe for consumption, sometimes up to a year or more.

No official response from Air Canada was available regarding the incident.

Author: Benjamin Carter