
A British film director has slammed British Airways for serving her a ‘pathetic’ vegan meal.
Carolyn Saunders, famed for her award-winning 2017 movie The Wasting, was flying from Vancouver to London when she was served chunks of plain tofu with rice and baby sweetcorn.
Recounting her horror on Twitter, she tweeted: “British Airways this is the sad vegetarian meal you saw fit to give me on a long YVR-LHR flight.
“Would you eat this? Would anyone? Plain tofu with plain rice and a baby corn cob from a tin?
“Why do you think vegetarians don’t like food? Please do better.”
“The flight attendant saved me by finding me another meal, but this was truly pathetic and happens to vegetarians so often.
“Please tell your caterers we are not rabbits. We like good hearty meals! And we like proper pudding, not just melon,” she added.
Carolyn admitted it wasn’t the first time she had been served poor veggie food: “This problem isn’t restricted to BA. I’ve experienced it on every airline I’ve flown on.
“I’m sick and tired of being treated like a rabbit with no appetite. What’s wrong with a good veg lasagne or a big bowl of veg chilli with beans and lentils or a nut loaf? Those are meals.
“A piece of plain tofu is not a meal, it’s a slap in the face,” she ranted.
Vegan travel
Vegans are all too familiar with poor quality in-flight meals.
FlyVe, a site set up by The Vegan Society in collaboration with Humane Society International, provides an open forum for vegans to share reviews of their meals.
Charlie Huson, Forward Food Campaign Manager at Humane Society International, said: “There are compelling animal welfare, environmental and human health benefits from eating plant-based foods, so it’s something that everyone – not just vegans – should be enabled to do.
“Unfortunately, many airlines are still offering the choice of ‘chicken or beef’, and in doing so failing to serve their fast-growing number of vegan customers and missing the opportunity to make animal and planet-friendly vegan options a choice accessible to everyone.”
BA response
Acknowledging her complaint, a customer service representative from British Airways’ social media team replied: “Oh, dear. That is a little sad, isn’t it, Carolyn? Had you requested a vegan meal or a vegetarian one?
“If you let me know the date you flew, I’ll make sure this is fed back to our Catering team (no pun intended).”
A spokesperson for British Airways told Sun Online Travel: “We pride ourselves on the quality of the meals we offer on board, and have heavily invested in our catering, in all cabins.
“Customers can pre-order from 14 special meals, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, kosher, low calorie, and low salt options.
“We are in touch with our customer and are investigating with our supplier.”
What’s the worst in-flight meal you’ve ever had? Share your experiences in the comments section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Bear Grylls ’embarrassed’ by past vegan diet promotes meat, blood, and bone marrow for better health
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 15th May 2023
“I’ve tried to listen to my body more, tried to listen to nature, and I don’t miss vegetables at all. I don’t go near them, and I’ve never felt stronger, my skin’s never been better, and my gut’s never been better.” Adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls has become a die-hard carnivore fan after admitting …
Pro-farming group mocks plant-based food truck for setting up a stall at horse trials
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 12th May 2023
A plant-based food business has sparked an online debate after a pro-farming page mocked it for doing no sales at a recently held horse event. Farmers Against Misinformation posted an image of a plant-based food van on Facebook and wrote alongside it: “The only food stand with no queue today at the Badminton Horse Trials.” …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …