Hideki Takayama commented on the creation of the menus:
“We had a particularly difficult time developing a vegan meal, as ANA strictly follows the guidelines set by Quality and Safety Alliance Inflight Services.
“Many ingredients such as dairy products, eggs, fish and meat could not be used, and we also developed the menu without root vegetables to accommodate the eating habits of more customers.
“With these many restrictions, it was difficult to achieve the same level of results as the gastronomic menu, and at the same time, this was the point we focused on. As we worked on the menu development, we were able to reconfirm the appeal of vegetables, and I believe we have completed an in-flight meal that is unlike any other.”
The airline says that the move aims to ‘further promote the “universalisation of food” as part of its ANA Future Promise initiative’.
Tomoji Ishii, executive vice president, customer experience management and planning of ANA, added:
“Providing inclusive meal options is essential to ensuring our customers with the best in-flight experience. We look forward to delivering these high-quality menu items and supplying a range of food options for all of our customers.”
The airline initially launched a series of healthy meals last October in collaboration with its The Connoisseurs culinary partners, and has since unveiled further updates to its inflight dining.
Earlier this year the airline introduced new, environmentally friendly kale and bamboo inflight meals in its international first class cabin.
All Nippon Airlines to offer kale and bamboo environmentally-friendly inflight meals