What you never knew about your in-flight meal

There is so much we don't know about the food that's served to us on flights. Photo / Getty Images

We all like to whinge about airline food but there is a tremendous amount of effort that goes into keeping us fed at 35,000 feet.

And the things airlines and their caterers need to worry about are things that would never, ever occur to us while we're mindlessly tucking into our in-flight meals.

Cans of Coke, for example — there's a reason why it's so much more expensive on planes. Or why ice-cream is such a problem. Or why passengers say they want to see healthy food on the menu but opt for the naughty option almost every single time.

It's definitely the culinary lowlight of any trip away. Photo / Getty Images

In a recent interview with Skift, Anne De Hauw from catering company Gate Group, which works with about 300 airlines, provided some rare behind-the-scenes insights into the whole process.

Ms De Hauw is the vice president for innovation at Gate Group and, according to Skift, "may know more about airline food than anyone on the planet".

"People have no idea of the complexity behind airline meals — the safety standards, the supply chains, the number of meals we have to prepare for each flight," she told Skift.

ICE CREAM ON PLANES IS A BIG PROBLEM

It's the tasty treat we're lucky to score with our in-flight dinner but ice-cream, like other dairy products, is a huge challenge for airlines and caterers, Ms De Hauw said.

"Ice cream that is supplied but not consumed is wasted," she said.

"Everything that is milk-based is difficult too [because of temperature reasons]. We are working at solutions to overcome that problem."

Ms De Hauw said raw fish was also difficult to serve on flights.

"It needs to be extremely fresh to be good," she said. "And the supply chain for airline catering is not tailored for very fresh foods."

THERE'S A REASON COKE COSTS SO MUCH

Getting cans of Coke on a plane is a complex, expensive process. Photo / Getty Images

Have you every begrudgingly paid for a can of soft drink on a flight, knowing full well you could get it a lot cheaper on the ground?

Ms De Hauw said while it depended on the airline, the cost of getting those cans to you was a complex, expensive process.

"The cans need to be sorted in the catering unit at the airport," she explained.

"They need to be sorted into trolleys. It is all planned in advance how much Coke goes into each trolley. The catering then needs to be driven by the high-loaders of the caterer at the airport and loaded on the aeroplane. That area is a highly-secure area.

"And the price of a high-loader [to raise the cans to the aircraft] around $200,000 [each, about A$262,000].

"The whole process of boarding all these elements has a big impact on the cost. That's why it is more expensive onboard."

It's also worth noting that flight attendants typically dread serving passengers glasses of Diet Coke.

That's because it takes so long to pour, due to its extra-fizzy nature due to the lower air pressure in the cabin, which makes it easier for the CO2 to release.

In the time it takes to pour a single Diet Coke, a flight attendant could have also served three other passengers.

THIS IS HOW MUCH YOUR MEALS COSTS THE AIRLINE

Ms De Hauw said on business class, it cost about $33 per passenger for the food and equipment, including the china, cutlery, glass, napkin, pepper and salt, and the tray.

In economy class, she estimated the average cost to be about $10.50 per passenger.

This kind of business class meal spread will cost the airline about $33, and only part of that covers the actual food. Photo / Getty Images

PEOPLE ALWAYS ORDER THE COMFORT FOOD

Ms De Hauw said while customers said they wanted to see healthy food on the in-flight menu, it was rarely what they ordered off the menu.

She said one of Gate Group's airline clients boarded planes with a single fruit salad, which often, no one would ask for.

"[Passengers] like to see a healthy option but they're not buying it," Ms De Hauw said.
She said people typically opted for the "guilty pleasure" food.

"We have done research and actually people, unconsciously, look to comfort themselves because there's that sentiment of fear and uncertainty," she said.

"And they're also not that comfortable on the flight, because they're sitting in a seat with everybody on top of each other ... People are looking to pass time, and food is one way to do that. We usually allow more guilty pleasures in the air than on the ground."

But passengers shouldn't get carried away.

Earlier this year, a book by Oxford University Professor Charles Spence said the average passenger consumed 3400 calories — or 14,226 kilojoules — between take-off and landing.

That's the equivalent of about six and a half Big Macs.

And a lot of those calories came from alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, Professor Spence wrote, but about 1900 of those calories were packed into the food.

PEOPLE DO HAVE FAVOURITE DISHES ON THE MENU

Qantas recently revealed its passengers were furious when it dared to take off the menu a completely underrated item — the humble steak sandwich.

Qantas passengers kicked up a stink at being robbed of their beloved sanga.

"The steak sandwich was promptly reinstated to the menu, where it remains a firm favourite today," the airline told News Corp in March.

YOU'RE UNLIKELY TO SEE KEGS ON FLIGHTS

Dutch airline KLM got the world talking last year when it launched an in-flight draught beer keg.

But Ms De Hauw said other airlines were unlikely to follow suit with the mile-high pub.
"It was more like a promotional stunt," she said.

"That particular trolley was not approved [by regulators, which must approve everything for safety]. But it was tested by KLM and KLM took the risk and the responsibility of putting it in the air anyway. Other airlines are not likely to do that."

AIRLINE FOOD IS SOME OF THE SAFEST YOU CAN EAT

Ms De Hauw's company, Gate Group, made headlines this month when the harmful bacteria listeria was found in its drains and on the ground of its unit at Los Angeles International Airport, prompting a number of its high-profile clients, including Virgin Australia, to pause its food service on flights out of LAX from the company.

She said the company immediately took action to have the bacteria removed and is reconstructing its LA base. Ms De Hauw added that airline food was among the safest in the world.

"It takes on average about 24 hours between the food production and the moment that the passenger eats the food," she said.

"An airline cannot have their passengers become sick from their meals. It's a very safe food experience, that's for sure."