Airline food has a notoriously bad reputation. Anyone who has travelled via plane has more than likely faced such food. Typically, airline food is known to be bland and stodgy with little variety or nutrition. However, that could be set to change as airline cuisine could be set to improve.
Why is Airline Food So Bad?
Cuisine Solutions is a company that provides food for international airlines. Its chief strategy officer Gerard Bertholon has stated that airlines are “focussing on comfort food, big portions, and not looking too much at the ingredients.”
Generally, in-flight meals are much more functional than they are satisfying. They are there to keep the passengers going, especially through long haul flights. Although they may fix any feelings of hunger, they aren’t always enjoyable. Additionally, there are logistical issues like the lack of space to cook, dealing with high altitudes, the sheer volume of food needed and getting the correct food to the appropriate flights.
Passengers Deserve Better
Nevertheless, airline food has been improving over the years, but it still isn’t completely there yet. Cuisine Solutions are focussing on providing for customers who are rightly demanding more. The company already acknowledges particular diets, but they are striving to give passengers more information on where meat has come from, using organic ingredients and including more food options.
A New Cooking Method
The overall aim for Cuisine Solutions is to make airline food more like what is eaten on the ground. It is also one of many companies encouraging airlines to use the “sous-vide” cooking process for food. This system involves sealing food in airtight plastic bags and cooking it in a bath of water to the exact temperature.
Such a method is apparently extremely useful for airlines. At such high altitudes, the lack of air humidity in airline cabins dries out food much quicker than on the ground. The sous-vide method preserves up to 20% of natural juices in the food.
Technology Could Improve Airline Food
Technology is also likely to be included in the process of distributing airline cuisine. Although robotic delivery services have been proposed over the years, it is highly unlikely that this will ever happen. Nevertheless, technology can prove useful in a different way.
Connectivity has increased on planes, with more offering data and WiFi services. Such information can be obtained by crews from the planes and be used to predict the food choices passengers will make.
