Qantas Airways tackles jet lag...with food

Qantas Airways has introduced new menus that the Australian carrier says are designed to encourage sleep at optimal times during the flight.

Qantas' Creative Director of Food, Beverage & Service, Neil Perry, said the menus currently being trialled on the airline's 787 Dreamliner Perth to London flights are based on research by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, combined with in-house experience.

“Working with clinical sleep specialists, nutritionists and metabolic scientists, we’ve designed new menu options using delicious ingredients that have added benefits of hydration, aiding sleep and reducing jetlag,” he explained.

Academic Director of the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, Professor Stephen Simpson, said the next step in the research will involve trials with a group of frequent flyers, using wearable technology and apps to collect data on sleeping and activity patterns, mental state, eating patterns and hydration – before, during and after their long haul flights.

Highlights of the new inflight menu across various cabins include:

• Probiotic Bc30 infused Botanica cold pressed juice shots
• A bespoke herbal tea, which encourages relaxation developed especially for Qantas by Dilmah, made from lemon verbena chamomile and lemongrass
• Dishes featuring ingredients to promote hydration, such as green leafy vegetables, cucumber, strawberries and celery
• Tailoring specific ingredients (such as chilli) to particular times of the day
• Lighter meal options (e.g. tuna poke salad bowl)
• A hot chocolate bedtime drink with the combination of warm milk and chocolate containing the sleep inducing amino acid, Tryptophan, to help prompt the body’s sleep cycle
• Organic kombucha by Remedy: a live-cultured, sparkling drink full of natural probiotics that assist with digestion