The ‘special meal’ is experiencing something of a revolution in the airline industry, as the adoption of a growing number of modern diets ramps up. Once thought of as a lesser quality, minority product – think the lone vegetarian option - pre-ordered, special alternatives to standard food offerings are becoming sought-after themselves.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has now broadened its special meal range to more than 20 meal types – from Kosher to Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo - catering not only to medical and religious requirements, but also lifestyle choices like veganism.

In a world that celebrates customisation (…did you know that Starbucks now offers 87,000 possible drink combinations?), caterers and airlines are providing more opportunity to order ‘off-menu’ for those who need to. Today’s frequent flyers are less likely to indulge in heavy foods and are paying close attention to ingredients and nutritional values.

While this presents opportunity for more creativity in the kitchen, it also presents a number of challenges for the industry – considering the costs of going bespoke and the rate at which airlines tend to turn over their menus –every three months. It’s hardly surprising that many are still playing catch-up.

So how do we meet the rising demand for special meals?

Future trends

With passengers becoming more and more selective about what they eat, there’s been a great deal of speculation about where the special meal trend is headed. Is our industry moving towards widespread a la carte dining, in the style of Singapore Airlines’ ‘Book the Cook’?

To do so would require a major re-evaluation of logistics, loading capacities, and the roles of cabin crews, whose primary focus has always been safety. There are financial hurdles too. By limiting offerings, efficiencies in production and raw materials are easier to find. Once airlines deviate from that and become restaurants, costs begin to skyrocket.

One thing’s for certain: the demand for special meals won’t subside any time soon. As lifestyle diets like paleo and low FODMAP become more popular, airlines will only be forced to increase their offerings, putting our industry’s agility to the test. Investing in the best, diverse talent, training and creativity in the kitchen is critical.

For those prepared to go the extra mile and cater to diverse dietary needs, the longer term business benefits will be worth it.