Farm-to-plane dining

Farm-to-plane dining

Beth B. Roman
Airlines are changing their food offerings to include local, fresh, and waste-free options.

Singapore Airlines has been at the forefront of developing fresh, healthy airline food. In September 2019, as part of its wellness cuisine initiative, the airline announced that it had partnered with vertical farm company AeroFarms to launch a menu featuring hyper-fresh ingredients picked and grown on board. Arugula and baby bok-choi grown at AeroFarm’s hydroponic garden will be featured in the “farm to plane” menu on Singapore Airlines flights between New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport and Singapore’s Changi Airport. James Boyd is the US Head of Communications at Singapore Airlines. “Our goal to give our customers the option to enjoy the freshest produce available in the sky, grown and delivered more sustainably,” he said.

Greens for Newark flights were previously flown from California, Mexico, or Florida up to 3,000 miles apart. Greens are now grown only five miles away from the airport, and they’re delivered to the plane 24 hours after harvesting. Imagine boarding a flight and eating a fresh salad that was harvested just before departure. This is the world’s most delicious airline food, said Antony McNeil. The only way to have fresher greens on board is to pick your own.

By 2020, passengers departing from Dubai International Airport can also enjoy hyper-local and garden-fresh meals on flights. Emirate Flight Catering, a catering company that supplies in-flight meals to over 100 airlines operating from Dubai International Airport, announced a new partnership in June 2018 with Silicon Valley startup Crop One. The joint venture, which is currently under construction in Dubai, will produce the largest vertical farm in the world, which will provide food for flights departing Dubai in 2020.

Pre-flight meals at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport include freshly picked greens. An aeroponic garden at Terminal 3 provides fresh produce to airport restaurants all year round.

Mak Swee-Wah, Executive Vice President of Commercials at Singapore Airlines, said that customers are more conscious of their diets and the ingredients they use. Using fresh produce in season and a lighter style of cuisine is also important to help health-conscious passengers feel refreshed after flights. These initiatives allow travelers to eat as healthy in the air as they do on the ground.

food and drink