IT’S TIME TO START A RACE TO THE TOP
One year on from his appointment, Fabio Gamba, managing director of the Airline Catering Association (ACA) looks to the challenges ahead for airline catering
As an industry we are all keen to serve better and tastier food while maintaining high safety and security standards. We all want the industry to be sustainable and reduce waste, but how? Increasingly it seems the answer is clear: we must avoid a race to the bottom – where there are no winners – and begin a race to the top focused on quality and high standards.
enjoy your meal
With passenger numbers projected to double in the next 15 years, the demand for high-quality food will increase. Airline catering will always be more challenging than preparing fresh food in a restaurant. However, our industry has shown incredible adaptability, rising to this challenge and consistently outstripping tired expectations of airline food while mastering many of the logistical challenges this entails. I am convinced we can improve the passenger experience further in all cabins.
reducing waste
Every year millions of tonnes of cabin waste are produced. Airline caterers have made significant progress towards reducing waste and singleuse plastics wherever possible. We have already taken decisive steps towards recycling and reusing materials in a closed circle. Becoming truly sustainable as an industry will continue to be a big challenge over the coming years though. And in doing so, we also need to be careful that waste reduction does not lead to unintended consequences such as higher aircraft emissions, when heavier substitutes are chosen.
A fascinating business
Serving food to billions of passengers above the clouds is a fascinating business and much more complex than it may appear. We relish this challenge and with the creation of the ACA last year, the industry is now able to speak with one voice.
Airline caterers have specialised in this exciting market and are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible at 35,000 feet. That’s why the industry wants a race to the top: it is time to raise standards and to offer every passenger a truly memorable food experience.