Airplane food and innovation, they’re not two words you’d often associate with each other; but Air New Zealand is bucking the trend of boring in flight food by giving customers a taste of the future.
It’s all part of a new collaboration with Silicon Valley food tech start-up Impossible Foods which will see Air New Zealand become the first airline in the world to serve the award-winning, plant-based Impossible Burger.
Vegans rejoice! This is one flight that you will not have to pack your own meal for.
The Impossible Burger’s magic ingredient is an iron-containing molecule called heme which comes from the roots of soy plants.
The heme in the Impossible Burger is the same as the heme found in animal meat. The result is a plant-based burger patty that cooks, smells and tastes like beef but contains no animal products whatsoever.
Trippy huh?
The burger is now available on Business Premier menus on flights from Los Angeles to Auckland.
Air New Zealand’s Inflight Customer Experience Manager Niki Chave said the airline had been watching Impossible Foods for some time and had been impressed with the work it’s doing.
“Like Impossible Foods, we are committed to offering our customers a fresh and innovative approach to cuisine,” she said.
Apparently the delicious plant-based option tastes just like the real deal.
“We’re confident vegetarians, flexitarians and dedicated meat lovers alike will enjoy the delicious taste of the Impossible Burger, but for those who want to stay with the tried and true it will sit alongside our regular selection of menu items.”
Air New Zealand’s Inflight Customer Experience Manager Niki Chave.
Impossible Foods CEO and Founder Dr. Patrick O. Brown said the company’s mission was to make the global food system more sustainable by making products that don’t compromise on sustainability, nutrition or taste.
“We launched with high-credibility, innovative chefs known for their delicious burgers, so it’s no coincidence our first airline partner has been named Airline of the Year for five straight years,” he said.
“The Impossible Burger is available in nearly 2,500 restaurants throughout the United States and now Air New Zealand will help us take the Impossible Burger to even greater heights.”
Air New Zealand will serve the Impossible Burger on flights NZ1 and NZ5 from Los Angeles to Auckland through until late October.
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