This fall, food producer and "RED U-35" judge Fumiko Kono and a prize-winning chef from "RED U-35" oversaw the project under the theme of "In-flight meals to be left for the future." Together with Kundo Koyama, who organized the collaboration with JAL, we will explore the aim of the theme and the deliciousness of the dishes.
The top sticker of the main dish of JAL's international in-flight meals has a photo of the supervising chef printed on it. They are prizewinners of "RED U-35", one of the largest culinary competitions in Japan. A collaboration project with CLUB RED chefs was started in 2017, and they supervise the seasonal in-flight meals served in JAL's international economy class. Kundo Koyama, general producer and one of the initiators, looks back on the history of the collaboration as follows:
Speaking of "RED", JAL is the brand that has collaborated on in-flight meals for the sixth year.
Koyama: "The idea for RED U-35 was originally sparked by a consultation with Gurunavi founder Hisao Taki. Gurunavi had been holding a contest called Gurunavi Chef since 2005, but he wanted to make it a bigger initiative. So in 2013, we started the project as an effort to unearth talent with a clear philosophy about cooking who could lead the culinary world in the future. We intuitively named it RED, hoping to create a word that would be widely familiar. The color red is synonymous with JAL, so we came up with the idea of collaborating."
This collaboration with JAL began in this way and will enter its sixth year in 2022. The winning chefs are supervising the creation of Japanese, Western and side dishes for in-flight meals in economy class on international flights.
Uki: "There are currently about 350 CLUB RED members, made up of the top prize winners. They aim to solve social issues through cooking, and as part of their activities they have positioned supervision of JAL's in-flight meals. We consult with JAL staff each time and offer the most suitable CLUB RED member to the team."
These are the words of Gurunavi's Atsumi Uki, who is in charge of the operation of "RED U-35." The theme of this event is "RED à table - In-flight meals for the future." As the realization of the SDGs becomes a global trend, in-flight meals are also being designed to reduce food waste and preserve food culture, and we are striving to create delicious meals that are sustainable, safe, and secure.
Koyama: "At first, RED U-35 placed emphasis on how delicious the food could be and whether the chefs could take on new challenges. But after two or three years of working on the project, the passion to solve social issues through food suddenly increased among the participating chefs. Times are changing, I guess. More and more of the judges are now thinking about social issues and food."
The themes of the in-flight meals are "LOVE FOR THE PLANET," "LOVE FOR THE SOCIETY," and "LOVE FOR OURSELVES."
Sakiko Yamada, CEO of FOOD LOSS BANK Co., Ltd. and advisor to RED U-35 from 2022, also said that this trend is "inevitable in the times." After working in charitable activities around the world, she is now based in Tokyo and promoting sustainable food projects.
Yamada: "The role of chefs is also changing. The trend is not to focus on the brand of the place of origin, but on how to make locally grown ingredients taste as delicious as possible. Japan has always had a culture of not wanting to waste food, and is a rare country where people say "itadakimasu" before a meal to show gratitude for the preparation of the food, so I feel that the foundation is in place. As we aim for a sustainable society towards 2050, we will need to continue this."
Until now, in-flight meals have adhered to high safety standards while pursuing taste and appearance. Now, while still respecting those standards, there is a demand for presentation that takes social significance into account.
Hitomi Uemura, who is in charge of planning for the Operations Department in the Cabin Product and Service Development Division at JAL, continues:
Uemura: First, Fumiko Kono, a food producer and head judge of the "RED U-35" competition,
Three themes were decided: "LOVE FOR THE PLANET," "LOVE FOR THE SOCIETY," and "LOVE FOR OURSELVES." Each chef devised a menu based on the theme. JAL's in-flight meal menu development proceeded based on this framework.
Thus, the menu currently being offered is a side dish created by food producer Fumiko Kono, Japanese cuisine created by Chef Tatsuya Noda of "nôl," and Western cuisine created by Chef Nae Ogawa of "natuRe waikiki."
We'll take you behind the scenes of JAL's work, including inside stories on the introduction of the A350 and the development of in-flight meal menus.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
