Singapore Airlines, one of the most ritzy airlines in the world, is partnering with a high-tech urban farm

Singapore Airlines is about to launch a new “farm-to-plane” dining program, using vegetables grown at a local farm in Newark, New Jersey, in dishes on board its flights from the New York City area.

David Slotnick
Business Insider
Sept 18, 2019

Excerpt:

The airline will work with AeroFarms, a unique indoor vertical farming company based in Newark, New Jersey, to source leafy greens and vegetables for several of the appetizers in its business class cabin starting in October. Meals made with the local greens will eventually be expanded to other courses and other cabins — the plane operating the flight is entirely business class and premium economy.

While the novelty of the “farm-to-table” concept in the sky, coupled with the fresh taste of the meals has an obvious appeal, the airline also touts the sustainability of both sourcing ingredients locally, and supporting eco-efficient businesses like AeroFarms with its business.

It could be easy to dismiss that — the airline, after all, is an airline, and relies on fossil fuels to fly emission-generating planes around the world — but there’s a twofold benefit that sourcing crops from a company like AeroFarms can provide.

Normally, while catering in the winter, “the greens for our flights from Newark had to be flown in from 3,000 miles away, from California, Mexico, or Florida,” said James Boyd, Singapore’s head of US communications. “This allows us to instead source our greens from less than five miles away, cutting down on shipping waste.”

Read the complete article here.