After reading this, I'm sure most of you will either grab a bite to eat before boarding, bring your own food, or just wait til you land.
Food catering for the airlines is provided by two global companies, Dobbs of Switzerland and Sky Chefs of Germany.
Together these two companies prepare a million meals a day, for 260 worldwide airlines, and this also includes those "gourmet" meals the airlines are marketing.
It's interesting that neither of the two companies will openly comment about their food preparation service. That's okay, we found out about how one particular food is handled, and it won't take much imagination to assume this is how most airline food is prepared.
All airlines serve at least one chicken dish – usually chicken breast. And, it turns out the sauces served with the chicken are prepared at least 24 hours before the flight.
The chicken itself is cooked 14 to 16 hours before takeoff, and immediately put in a blast chiller.
The temperature in the blast chiller reaches 40 degrees below zero, and the meat stays there for two to four hours. After cooling, the chicken is wrapped, and then placed in cold storage.
A couple of hours before the flight, the chicken is loaded on a catering truck, and about an hour before take off the food is finally loaded onboard the plane.
After the food reaches the plane, the meals are simultaneously reconstituted, and loaded onto food carts. Depending upon delays, weather, or the number of airline and airport staff that show up to work, the food carts can sit for an undetermined amount of time. The food carts heat the meat and vegetables, and another portion of the cart is a cooler for those foods that should be chilled.
So, let's be straight about the process. The food is cooked, then fast frozen at extremely cold tempeatures, then moved to a regular freezer, then either reheated or chilled again for an determined amount of time. 
Now you understand why the meat looks and tastes like rubber!
Now, about those "gourmet meals". They are prepared by the same two companies listed above. And even though famous chefs have endorsed these meals, they are NOT the same meals prepared in the famous chefs kitchens.
But, here's the best news, and please pass it on! I bet you didn't know that the low air pressure on an airplane makes your body swell – and that includes your intestines. This situation makes it difficult to digest food.
According to an expert in high-altitude, Charles S. Houston, M.D., "the food you would like to use at high altitude is the food that requires the least oxygen to digest. Carbohydrates give you quick energy and don't use as much oxygen. You need small amounts of carbohydrates at high altitude."
But airline "gourmet meals" focus on the meat entree, which is primarily protein. The truth is, if you decide to skip the gourmet meal altogether, your whole travel experience will improve.
The reality is the airlines are serving bad tasting leftovers, and now they want you to pay for it!
Now you know!
Source: Airline Travel Health News
Filed under: Travel
