The airline, a subsidiary of national carrier Japan Airlines that is based at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, started taking reservations in July for two in-flight meals that are made partly of ground-up crickets, widely regarded as a rich source of protein and other nutrients.
The airline is serving a chilli burger with tomato and a pasta dish, both of which include crushed cricket and cost 1,500 yen (US$11.30).
Zipair, which commenced passenger operations in October 2020 and flies from Narita to Singapore; Seoul, South Korea; Bangkok, Thailand; and Honolulu and Los Angeles in the United States, is collaborating with food technology company Gryllus to serve up the unusual meals – and officials say there have been no complaints so far.
“Although we are still reviewing customer feedback, we have received more than 60 purchase orders for the two dishes since they were introduced on July 1,” said Mark Matsumoto, a spokesman for the airline.
Zipair has been inspired to be more adventurous with its in-flight menu as a result of the sustainable development goals for food waste announced by the United Nations in 2015, with Matsumoto saying that the airline feels that measures to protect the environment are its responsibility.
“In line with the target for reduced food losses, Zipair is currently only preparing and loading meals that have been reserved in advance, meaning that we do not load meals based on the number of passengers on each flight,” he said.
“And as Zipair and Gryllus both have the mutual goal of reducing food loss, it made sense for the two companies to collaborate on the development of these meals.
“The UN has reported that in the next 30 years, the global population will reach a level where shortages of animal-based food products will occur, so we will continue to work with companies that are developing and introducing sustainable meal options to contribute to the betterment of society.”