Qatar Airways Vegetarian Passenger Dies After Being Asked To 'Eat Around' Meat-Based Meal, Know The Health Risks

An 85-year-old vegetarian passenger tragically died mid-flight on Qatar Airways after being served a meat-based meal and advised to "eat around" it. Know about the incident, health risks of choking.

An 85-year-old vegetarian passenger choked and died mid-flight aboard a Qatar Airways aircraft after being served a non-vegetarian meal. Although he had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal on the long-haul flights between Los Angeles and Colombo in June 2023, he received an ordinary meal with meat in it. Flight attendants even reportedly advised him to "eat around" the meat. In the process, he started to feel perplexed and fainted.

Vegetarian Passenger Dead After Eating Non-Vegetarian Meal

The flight crew requested the help of MedAire, a remote medical advice service, and gave oxygen. Dr Jayaweera, however, worsened and was declared dead on August 3, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection caused by inhalation of food or liquid.

His son, Surya Jayaweera, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Qatar Airways, claiming negligence in the staff services of meals and medical attention. The case charges the airline with a breakdown of supplying the ordered vegetarian meal and the way the medical emergency was handled. It further challenges the fact that the airline claims that it could not have been in a state of emergency landings, implying that it was above the U.S. Midwest when the accident happened and could have diverted to a local airport.

Health Risks of Non-Vegetarian Food for Vegetarians

Digestive Problems

The body of vegetarians is developed to evaluate vegetable food. Immediate meat consumption may result in bloating, abdominal pain, nausea or stomach upsets since there may not be adequate enzymes present in the digestive system to effectively digest the animal proteins and fats.

Allergic or Sensitivity Reactions

There is the chance of some vegetarians becoming sensitive or a little allergic to meat, particularly when they have long abstained from it.

Increased Risk of Infection

Unless meat is prepared in the proper way or cooked, it may have dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli. In a person with a low intake of meat products, the immune system may not be ready and this exposes them to food-borne diseases.

Choking Risk

A certain person who does not regularly consume meat items may find meat which is in the form of chunks or hard pieces, harder to chew and swallow. This enhances the possibility of choking, especially in older and weak people.

Heart and Blood Pressure Concerns

Saturated fats and cholesterol are found in abundance in meat. In an individual whose diet is primarily vegetarian, consumption of animal fats in the short term cause blood pressure to go high and exposes the possibility that the heart may get strained or develop other heart-related complications.

Digestive Microbiome Imbalance

Long-term vegetarians possess a microbiome of the gut that has been adapted to a plant-based diet. Sudden introduction of meat may break this balance, causing discomfort, gas and temporary intestinal problems.