Flight food made with tender loving care

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Passengers on board a flight usually take their meals for granted, rarely pausing to think that the food has been subject to a lot of attention before going airborne and reaching their tray tables.

A recent trip to the kitchens of Aerowisata Inflight Catering, a subsidiary of flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia, shed some light on the fact that the airborne food is made from top-of-the-line materials and ingredients, and has been through a tightly controlled cooking process involving internationally recognized safety measures.

Inside a 1,990-square-meter kitchen built inside the compound of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Aerowisata cooks daily an average of 35,000 meals for passengers of its 23 foreign and domestic airline clients including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Emirates, Japan Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.

Under a safety measurement called the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), all food materials and ingredients are prepared in temperature-conditioned rooms that maintain the quality of the items.

All the raw materials are collected from suppliers that abide by standards set by Aerowisata.

Before reaching the kitchen, the food materials are stored in the company's 33 cold stores, whose temperature will vary depending on the items kept inside. Condiments, fruit or eggs are kept inside a room with its coolers set at 18 degrees Celsius, while meat and fish are held inside a freezer at minus 18 degrees Celsius.

Based on orders placed by relevant airlines -- which Aerowisata receives through its online ordering system 12 hours before planes take off -- cooks work against the clock to prepare a variety of food and drinks, including special menus ordered by vegetarians, would-be passengers with health problems or those who order religion-inspired items such as kosher meals or halal food.

The cooking is carried out inside a hygienic compound whose temperature has been set to a level that is hostile to the growth of harmful bacteria or viruses.

Such a protective measure is augmented by a policy requiring all cooks, administration staff and visitors to wear overalls and head coverings once they are inside the caterer's compound.

When food and beverages are ready -- three hours before a plane is due to take off -- they are packed in bulk before being put in cold storage once again.

As a rule, passengers are served with frozen food that has been prepared hours before they depart. On a long-haul flight, flight attendants warm the food for passengers' convenience.

Forty five minutes before a flight, Aerowisata's hi-lift trucks will upload the foods and drinks to aircraft standing by. Aerowisata uses 31 such trucks to deliver the ready-to-serve food around the clock.

Random samples are taken for laboratory testing to ensure food safety.

Tight security measures are applied to prevent outsiders from tampering with the quality and security of the food.

Even staff members of Aerowisata are required to register their names before entering cold stores that stock airborne-ready food.

Dozens of surveillance cameras closely monitor and record every activity within the compound, making it impossible for rogue elements to harm passengers via their food or drink.

Aerowisata general manager Bendady Pramono said that, using the freshest and finest materials available, his company served only high-quality meals for its clients.

"The HCCP also guarantees that the food we serve has a good taste and is hygienic," he said.

Next time you fly, think twice before declining or wasting the food served by ever-smiling flight attendants -- much effort has gone into getting it to you.