Air New Zealand is giving customers a taste of the future with a new in-flight collaboration with Silicon Valley food tech start-up Impossible Foods.

The airline is the first in the world to serve the award-winning, plant-based Impossible Burger which is now available as part of its business premier menu on flights from Los Angeles to Auckland.

Impossible Burger’s magic ingredient is an iron-containing molecule called heme which comes from the roots of soy plants. 

The heme in the Impossible Burger is the same as the heme found in animal meat. 

The result is a plant-based burger patty that cooks, smells and tastes like beef but contains no animal products whatsoever.

Air New Zealand’s in-flight customer experience manager, Niki Chave, said the airline has been watching Impossible Foods for some time and has been impressed with the work it’s doing.

“Like Impossible Foods, we are committed to offering our customers a fresh and innovative approach to cuisine. 

“We’re incredibly excited about this partnership and the opportunity to offer our customers travelling from Los Angeles to Auckland a delicious plant-based option that tastes just like the real deal,” she said.

“We’re confident vegetarians, flexitarians and dedicated meat lovers alike will enjoy the delicious taste of the Impossible Burger, but for those who want to stay with the tried and true it will sit alongside our regular selection of menu items prepared by our talented culinary team and consultant chefs.”

Air New Zealand will serve the Impossible Burger on flights NZ1 and NZ5 from Los Angeles to Auckland through until late October.