Det sveitsiske cateringselskapet Gate Gourmet, som leverer måltider til 14 flyselskap – inkludert SAS og British Airways – ønsker å tilpasse hele produksjonen til islamsk halalpraksis for å senke kostnadene og øke selskapets profitt.

De fleste flygninger tilbyr halal-alternativ, men disse måltidene må forberedes, lagres og transporteres separat for å overholde muslimske diettregler, noe som gjør dem mer kostbare. Men å fjerne halalmåltider fra menyen er ikke et alternativ:

Removing halal meals from the menu is not an option for a company serving airlines across the globe, but managers at the Swiss-based catering giant believe it makes financial sense to ensure most meals meet with the strict Islamic rules.

‘My aim is to make our large hub operations halal compliant,’ said Guy Dubois, GateGroup.

The catering firm is about to open a dedicated halal kitchen at Heathrow – where meals are prepared for 14 airlines including BA.

The specialist kitchen will be smaller than the main kitchen that already exists at the airport, but could be the first stage in a gradual switch.

The move follows the sharp growth of carriers such as Emirates, of Dubai, and Etihad, of Abu Dhabi, which require all meals to be halal.

But GateGourmet caters for numerous airlines from non-Muslim countries, which would also be affected by the changes.

The company prepares more than 200million meals a year from its 100 flight kitchens in more than 25 countries.

Daily Mail påpeker at det at de aktuelle flyselskapenes kunder blir nødt til å spise mat tilberedt i henhold til muslimsk tro kan bli gjenstand for kontrovers i noen land, blant dem Storbritannia.

British Airways har allerede tonet ned betydningen av cateringselskapets forslag: – British Airways har ingen planer om å endre sine menyer eller å gjøre alle måltider til halal. British Airways har ikke vært i noen diskusjon med cateringselskapet Gate Gourmet om denne saken, sa en talsmann for flyselskapet i går.

Peter van Niekerk, head of GateGroup in the UK, said: ‘We are at the moment competing for some more halal business and when we make that, the scale tips.’

He said the company would consult with customers such as BA and Cathay Pacific to ‘manage perceptions and manage such a transition’.

A company statement added: ‘In a recent press interview Gate Gourmet expressed an interest in looking at innovative ways of managing hot kitchen processes. At the moment, in certain large airport locations, the company has main kitchen areas and separate facilities to prepare specialty products for customers who desire them.

‘The company’s ambition is to explore approaches to reduce complexity and cost in its production processes, but no decisions have been made.

I uttalelsen heter det også at «Gate Gourmet, som en global leverandør, lenge har bekjent seg til mangfold og respekt for alle kulturer. Vårt primære mål forblir å tilfredsstille behovet for valg av måltider for alle våre kunder blant flyselskapene og deres passasjerer på den mest effektive, kostnadseffektive måten som mulig».

Daily Mail: British Airways caterer GateGourmet dishes up plans to make most of its meals halal