Plant burger causes turbulence
Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says Air New Zealand should be the meat industry’s number one marketer.
His comments follow criticism of the airline after it offered a meat-free burger on selected flights from Los Angeles, produced a video and flew journalists to the United States to promote the burger and the company that makes it.
‘‘Air New Zealand is an airline built by the New Zealand taxpayer, was privatised, was bailed out by the New Zealand taxpayer, and is there because of the taxpayer,’’ Peters said yesterday.
‘‘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.’’
The meat industry has accused the airline of doing farmers no favours.
But Air New Zealand has refused to back down, saying it made no apology for offering ‘‘innovative product choices for its customers and will continue to do so in the future’’.
‘‘Indeed, the international media coverage . . . positioning Air New Zealand as an innovative airline and, by association, New Zealand as a desirable place to visit has been invaluable,’’ the airline said in a statement.
Beef+Lamb New Zealand chief executive Rod Slater said he challenged Air New Zealand to help promote local meat to the same extent it has the US firm Impossible Foods.
The national carrier has produced a video extolling the virtues of the burger and paid for journalists to travel to Impossible Foods’ headquarters.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said Air New Zealand made its own decisions. He had never eaten a non-meat burger but would be happy to do so ‘‘because we need to know what we’re facing’’.
‘‘It could be a positive thing for the meat industry if people try it and decide they don’t like it,’’ O’Connor said.
Peters said he was ‘‘utterly opposed to fake beef’’ and would not eat it if he had the option of eating real beef.
Other politicians have also entered the fray. Former primary industries minister Nathan Guy tweeted: ‘‘Disappointing to see Air NZ promoting a GE substitute meat burger on its flights to the USA.’’
The airline announced on Tuesday it would offer passengers the ‘‘Impossible Burger’’, with a soy-based molecule that simulates the taste and smell of meat.
Slater said Air New Zealand should make a similar video and send journalists to Kiwi farms.
‘‘There’s a great story to tell and who better to tell it than Air New Zealand.’’
Beef+Lamb NZ was not opposed to alternative proteins, Slater said.
Air New Zealand said it was a ‘‘significant’’ supporter of the New Zealand meat industry and spent millions of dollars a year buying beef and lamb.
In the past year it had served about
1.3 million New Zealand-sourced beef and lamb meals to customers.
Since 2011 it had been serving a burger to business premier customers – more than 500,000 beef or lamb burgers.
The Impossible Burger will be on Air New Zealand’s menu until late October on the LA to Auckland route and was one of three main course options available on the business premier menu.