Delta Air Lines boycotts Israeli snack?
American airline stops serving Achva halva on its flights from Israel after passengers complain product manufactures in 'illegal' settlements. Company says in response product removed as part of 'normal catering cycle and review'
American air carrier Delta Air Lines
has stopped serving the Achva halva
snacks on its flights from Israel.
The popular snacks are manufactured by the Achdut tahini factory located in the Barkan industrial zone, beyond the Green Line.
According to reports on pro-Palestinian websites, the company initiated the move after passengers complained that the product was made in "illegal" settlements.
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In a letter to one of the complaining customers, Delta Air Lines confirmed that it had "notified our local catering company to discontinue serving the Vanilla Halva bar in meals onboard Delta flights from Israel."
The company noted that it was reviewing its onboard menu, and in the meantime was serving fruit instead of the halva snack.
Pro-Palestinian activists reported the incident on various websites, claiming that "the company will stop serving snacks manufactured in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on its flights from Tel Aviv."
Following an inquiry by an Israeli activist, Delta said: "We regret that a letter from an individual in our customer care department incorrectly suggested that Delta removed a vanilla halva bar because of its origin."
The airline noted that "like on many of our international flights, all food items on Delta flights exit Tel Aviv are sourced by our local caterer. This includes more than 1,000 local items. The item in question, a Vanilla Halva Bar, was recently removed as part of a normal catering cycle and review.
"In many cases products that are removed are later re-boarded. In addition, items are periodically rotated or changed in the course of our menu cycles," the company added.
It should be noted that Achdut's Achva halva is considered a very popular snack among halva lovers. The 25-gram snack contains 50% sesame paste and is sold in supermarkets across Israel.
The Achdut company declined comment.
