april2021 - 26

INTERNATIONAL

Photo courtesy of dnata

expectation of normalcy is coming back,
and airlines are returning to a full service
on-board, " says Hiranjan Aloysius, chief
executive officer (CEO) of dnata catering
Australia.
" Food safety standards have always
been high in inflight catering and, with
precautions like distancing and temperature testing added in our units, we are very
confident the risks presented by inflight
catering are extremely low, " Aloysius continues. " Coping with change over the past
year has been less a safety challenge, as we
know we can exceed safety requirements,
and instead been more a resourcing and
planning challenge. Fluctuations in border
openings and service levels have presented
the most significant planning, resourcing
and cost-management challenges we have
ever seen. "

Pre-pack Meals

Photo courtesy of dnata

According to Schweitzer, individual
meal boxes have always been a top item,
so there were more sold than normal on
flights where a shared tray would have been
ordered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
" There have always been healthy meals
offered, so that has not changed, " he says.
While menus have not changed a lot and
meals have remained unchanged, pre-pack
meals have become a defining feature of air
travel during the pandemic.
" Most meals are now required to be prepacked to limit the chances of transmission
through many people handling the food
items. For example, crew meals for most
operators are required to be boxed instead

of being plated on meal trays, " says Schattenkirchner. " Some companies struggled a
lot trying to adapt with the new protocols
in place as well as the limited flights. It is
hugely important now to make sure that the
catering and cutleries are well and neatly
packaged. "
Indeed, the move to wrapped or packaged products was to minimize the need
to double-handle goods or expose them to
the virus.
" We have worked with airlines to maintain a healthy, desirable product, albeit presented in a different way. It has restricted
variety on-board, but we are seeing this
come back quickly, " says Aloysius.

Precautions in
Food Preparation
Temperature testing, minimization of
visitors, distancing within work areas,
enhanced personal protective equipment
(PPE) and an increased frequency of cleaning schedules were all quickly implemented
across dnata catering Australia's network.
" These measures have complemented
the rigorous general standards that already
existed. We have adopted the Airline Catering Association/International Flight Services Association guidelines, too, which
provide guidance linked to four important

26 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

APRIL 2021

pillars: people; premises; policies, processes
and ramp; procedures and procurement, "
says Aloysius.
Safety protocols have been implemented
and shared with a vast number of catering
companies in all regions of the world.
" Not all locations are the same in size,
workflow or government oversight, so
these protocols are recommended but not
enforced, " observes Schweitzer.
Adhering to strict sanitation guidelines
and wearing the necessary PPE such as face
masks and gloves were already standard for
everyone involved in the production and
delivery cycle of catering.
" Access to the kitchen is limited to only
those involved in production and delivery. The catering rooms are disinfected as
well. This level of sanitation is maintained
throughout the transportation process also;
high loaders and trollies are disinfected
for every flight, catering personnel are
requested to wear their gloves, PPE and
face shields for every flight, " says Schattenkirchner. " The key objective is to ensure
workplaces are sanitized and maintained to
the highest standards and staff wellness
is given top priority with customer health
and safety. Team members working on the
frontline are being vaccinated and swabs
are conducted regularly. "

april2021

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