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Dozens of United Airlines employees at Denver International Airport fell ill after eating a meal provided by the airline on Christmas Day.
According to a letter from the Association of Flight Attendants, representing United workers in Denver and Phoenix, a total of 492 meals were served to flight attendants. Of those, there were 24 reports of symptoms connected to food poisoning.
Denver7 spoke with one flight attendant who said he felt sick and started to experience nausea and diarrhea shortly after eating the holiday plate of food. The employee said many of his colleagues who ate the meal were also ill afterward.
He told Denver7 that United Airlines has a strict policy requiring staff to submit a doctor's note within 48 hours when they call in sick during the holiday period.
A spokesperson from United Airlines told Business Insider: "United is monitoring reports from some employees about gastrointestinal symptoms following holiday meals served to Denver employees last Wednesday, and we are in contact with health authorities. There has been no impact on our operation."
The AFA initially reported that around 200 employees had been sick after eating the meal on Christmas Day, however, it said in its later letter that the actual number of reports was substantially lower.
"We recognize that there may be some who decided to "power through" or who may have been apprehensive about calling in sick over the holiday period, or who may have been on their way home and therefore did not miss work.
The union wrote that if staff had to call in sick and believe it was because of the meal, they should email their supervisor explaining they are among those with symptoms and that any points associated with the absence should be removed.
Although the letter said "there is no way to know for sure" if these were cases of food poisoning as there are viruses circulating that produce similar symptoms, management at the airport would keep monitoring the issue.
