United Airlines has teamed up with Impossible Foods to offer a variety of new plant-based meals. According to VegNews, Impossible Meatball bowls are now being offered on its first-class menu for domestic flights traveling over 800 miles in the US.
But the new meals aren’t limited to in-flight menus. Select airport lounges in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Newark will have Impossible plant-based sausage available in their breakfast buffets. The sausage will also be able to be added to omelets.
United’s Managing Director of Hospitality and Planning, Aaron McMillan, said, “We want our food offerings to evolve and change along with people’s preferences—we’re proud to work with Impossible Foods and think our customers are really going to love these new options.”
“To many travelers, the quality of food choices at the airport and in the sky are a really important part of the customer experience, so we’re invested in making sure our menu items exceed their expectations. This is the first of many updates we look forward to sharing in the months ahead.”
Earlier this year, Impossible also began working with Delta Airlines to update its menu with vegan and vegetarian options. Select flights of 900 or more miles now offer several plant-based meals for first class and business class passengers. These include the Impossible Burger, a vegan lamb, and Impossible Meatballs.
Kristen Manion Taylor, Senior Vice President of In-Flight Service at Delta, said of the additions, “Not only are plant-based meats like Impossible Burger delicious to eat, but they’re also often better for the environment, using far less land and water to produce. These new options are one part of Delta’s broader mission to promote a wellness-focused travel journey.”
With these airline partnerships, Impossible is doing its part in environmental conservation efforts. The food company’s plant-based alternatives to meat are made using 85 percent less water and 75 percent less land than that required for the production of animal meat. The production process also creates 90 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.
“United is all about offering the highest quality customer experience, which is something we have in common here at Impossible Foods,” said Impossible’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Dan Greene.
“It’s exciting to see the airline bring new options to consumers that are better tasting and better for the planet. We think United flyers are going to love having access to Impossible dishes in the air and in the lounge.”
Related: Traveler Story: ‘How I Find Food Options Abroad As A Vegan/ Vegetarian’