In recent years, there’s been a noticeable uptick in the demand for vegan meals, especially during Veganuary, a month-long campaign promoting the vegan lifestyle. Emirates Airlines has experienced a substantial 40% increase in customer requests for plant-based meals. Rising to meet this growing demand, Emirates plans to enhance its onboard and lounge offerings in 2024 with an extensive range of new vegan dishes. This initiative will expand Emirates’ already impressive ‘vegan vault,’ which boasts over 300 curated plant-based recipes.
The airline’s journey into vegan cuisine dates back to the 1990s, initially catering to specific routes like Addis Ababa and regions where plant-based diets are part of religious practices. However, the popularity of vegan dishes has soared across various routes, including the US, Australia, Europe, and Asia, over the last decade. Recognizing this shift, Emirates introduced a gourmet vegan menu in 2022 for its First and Business Class passengers, offering a variety of choices for those following a vegan lifestyle or seeking healthier meal options while traveling.
2023: A Year of Plant-Based Milestones
In 2023, Emirates served over 450,000 plant-based meals onboard, a significant increase from 280,000 in 2022. This growth in vegan meal consumption, rising by 40% year-on-year, aligns with passenger volumes. However, certain regions like Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East reported even higher increases, outpacing passenger volume growth. The most notable rise in vegan meal consumption was observed in Economy Class, with specific routes to China, Japan, and the Philippines showing significant increases.
Many Emirates Cabin Crew members have also embraced a plant-based diet since the airline introduced vegan meals for Cabin Crew in 2018. This shift reflects a broader acceptance and adoption of veganism within the airline’s culture.
Vegan Delights Across All Classes
Emirates offers a variety of vegan dishes across different travel classes:
- Economy Class: Passengers can relish dishes like chickpea crepe stuffed with vegetables, pumpkin frittata, tofu tikka masala, and chickpea kale stew. Desserts include coconut mousse with mango compote, banana cake with chocolate crumble, and chocolate pudding.
- Premium Economy Class: Options include jackfruit curry with basmati rice, squash chestnut stew, chocolate tofu cheesecake, and raspberry parfait with orange compote.
- Business Class: This class features dishes like roasted cauliflower with ancient grains, Asian tofu and shitake mushroom ragout, tropical coconut pineapple cake, and chocolate cheesecake.
- First Class: Offers sophisticated vegan cuisine like creamy polenta cake with mushroom ragout, aubergine curry with charred rice, and desserts like rhubarb with strawberry charlotte and warm chocolate fondant.
Later this year, Emirates plans to launch new vegan main courses, snacks like fruit muffins and vegan pizza, and desserts such as chocolate pecan cake and raspberry tonka cake.
Emirates sources high-quality vegan ingredients globally, including plant-based proteins from Beyond Meat, soybean protein from Singapore and UAE-based Arlene, Japanese Qian Ye pressed tofu, and organic dark vegan chocolate from France’s Linnolat. They also use fresh kale and lettuce from Bustanica, the world’s largest hydroponic vertical farm, in a joint venture through Emirates Flight Catering.
Vegan options can be pre-ordered onboard and ordered directly in First Class, as well as in Emirates Lounges. These meals are available on all Emirates flights across all classes, up to 24 hours before departure.
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