SWISS has partnered with the app Too Good To Go to cut food that is wasted after flights. On flights where food not purchased is set to go to waste, cabin crew will offer it for a fraction of its cost to drive interest.

Across the world, a growing emphasis is being placed on sustainability within the aviation industry. However, this typically focuses on aircraft emissions, occasionally looking at single-use plastics and reducing weight inside the cabin. One area that is often overlooked is what happens to uneaten food after a flight.

Food that’s ‘Too Good To Go’

Many readers may be familiar with Too Good To Go. This company partners with restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, and other catering establishments to ‘rescue’ food that is due to be disposed of. The food is typically marketed through Too Good To Go’s app on a fixed price, first-come, first-serve basis.

The catch is that you don’t know what the food will be until you pick it up. For example, when using the app at Starbucks before, we’ve received two paninis, three muffins, and a slice of cake. On other occasions, this has been limited to just two pieces of cake and a bagel.

SWISS, Food Waste, Too Good To Go
SWISS tries not to load more food onto a flight than it thinks will be sold. Photo: SWISS

Where does SWISS come into this?

So you make be wondering where SWISS fits into the picture. The airline has partnered with Too Good To Go to stop food wastage after flights in a trial. The general premise will be the same but adapted for the in-flight environment.

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SWISS is already using historical flight sales data to try to predict how much food to load onto flights. Unfortunately, every flight is different, and the two don’t always match up.

SWISS, Food Waste, Too Good To Go
Unsold items will be offered over the tannoy for a third of their regular price. Photo: SWISS

If this is the case, the flight crew will place any non-purchased food into bags of one to three fresh food items. The crew will then make these bags available for sale via the intercom and will sell them to interested passengers for a third of their traditional cost. As well as stopping food wastage, it also helps with the financial cost. While ⅓ is a fraction of the regular price, it is still more than the 0% they will get if the food is binned.

According to SWISS’s Head of Western Switzerland, Romain Vetter, the trial is going well so far. He commented,

“The first results from these trials have been promising. The new approach has been well received by our passengers on the flights concerned. We’re now awaiting a final analysis of the trials’ findings to decide if we should extend it to further routes.”

Would you purchase reduced food at the end of a flight to reduce waste? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!