AIR NZ SERVING ‘FAKE’ MEAT BURGER INFURIATES NEW ZEALAND MINISTER

Air New Zealand is in the crosshairs of New Zealand’s acting Prime Minister Winston Peters after the airline announced plans to offer a fake meat burger on an international flight.

On July 3, Air New Zealand announced that it would be serving the plant-based impossible burger on flights from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand. The burger made from an iron-containing molecule called heme which comes from the roots of soy plants is available on the business premier menu.

“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 prepared by our talented culinary team and consultant chefs,” says Air New Zealand’s inflight customer experience manager Niki Chave.

The announcement has been met with criticism from beef producers and politicians in New Zealand, including the acting Prime Minister.

Mr Peters is “utterly opposed to fake beef” and wants to see products from New Zealand featured on the menu. “Some of the taxpayers are the farming industry who want to ensure they get top end of the product market offshore and our airline should be its number one marketer,” Peters said.