Locally sourced Greek yogurt. Artisanal ketchup. Grass-fed beef jerky.
These are the types of foods you'd expect to find in a hipster café or fancy grocery store — definitely not on an airplane.
But that's changing. United Airlines recently unveiled an upgraded menu with gourmet foods that are tasty, good for you, and environmentally conscious.
“Our aim is to design creatively inspired menus using the highest-quality seasonal, regional, and unique ingredients," says Irina Pilon, director of global product design and delivery for United Airlines.
By focusing on small brands that use natural ingredients and are sustainable, United wants to address the needs of all its passengers: those who have dietary restrictions, those who care about sustainability — and those who are just hungry for some quality bites.
“Our hope is that every United passenger finds something that catches their appetite," says Rob Bradford, managing director of global product design and delivery at United.
So next time you're traveling with United, skip the fast food at your gate and opt for one of these fresh onboard choices instead.
Chobani® yogurt
Founded by a Kurdish-Turkish immigrant in upstate New York, this company's thick and creamy Greek yogurt became a household name in less than a decade. In addition to tasting great, Chobani® is committed to its employees, giving them a 10 % stake in the company, and to animals and the environment, using only non-GMO, hormone-free milk from local dairy farms.
When flying United, you can sample Chobani's mixed berry Greek yogurt drink, which is served with fresh berries, nuts and seeds, and vanilla granola to create an ideal breakfast.
Think Jerky®
Love traditional jerky, but hate the excessive amounts of sugar and salt? So did Think Jerky® founder Ricky Hirsch. As a welcome alternative, his version uses grass-fed beef, is paleo-friendly, and free of nitrates, gluten, antibiotics, and hormones.
Though Think Jerky® is one of the fastest-growing snack companies in Chicago — and has partnerships with major brands like Starbucks — United will be the first to carry it at 35,000 feet. Onboard, passengers will be able to sample the sweet chipotle flavor, which was crafted by local farm-to-table chef and Baconfest champion Matt Troost, and uses raspberry concentrate from a small American farm.
Lillie's Q®
Food & Wine named Chicago-born Lillie's Q® the best new BBQ restaurant in the country when it opened in 2010. Since then, it's become a national powerhouse, backed by creator and Chef Charlie McKenna’s multiple wins at the Memphis in the May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (basically the world’s most prolific BBQ competition).
The company uses all-natural ingredients to highlight the distinct heritage and flavors of BBQ regions around the American south: cayenne from Memphis, vinegar from Eastern Carolina, and mustard from South Carolina, to name a few.
For Lillie's Q®'s in-air debut, United will showcase the Sea Salt and Black Pepper Kettle Chips.
Mezze Sampler
Looking for something a little lighter? Maybe even vegan?
Try United's Mezze Sampler, which features almonds, sun-dried tomato and basil hummus, and a wheat berry salad with quinoa, edamame, and corn.
It also includes pita bread from California Lavash, a family-owned company that's been baking artisanal flatbreads for 25 years. All the bakery's products are non-GMO and free of artificial preservatives, chemicals, and animal byproducts —but full of flavor. The company won the City of Gilroy’s Recycling Award for waste-reduction efforts. It also delivers bread daily to local organizations who feed the hungry, as well as provide healthy lunches to kids.
Sir Kensington's condiments
You might not think there's a difference between condiment brands, but that's just because you haven't had the good stuff.
New York-based Sir Kensington's offers a variety of unique condiments — all made with real, non-GMO, gluten-free ingredients. Its mayonnaise, for example, is the only food-service mayo on the market that uses certified humane free-range eggs.
One place you'll be able to sample it is on top of United's smoked Gouda cheeseburger. Not only is it delicious, it also features another shout out to NYC: a BROOKLYN BRED® bistro bun.
SMASHMALLOW® marshmallows
Last but certainly not least: dessert, in the form of artisan marshmallows. NorCal's SMASHMALLOW® was founded in 2016 by Jon Sebastiani, the founder of Sonoma Brands, a dual venture fund and new products incubator.
With his new product, Sebastiani wanted to revamp the traditional marshmallow — while still maintaining its nostalgic character. To that end, SMASHMALLOW® offers all-natural, gluten-free “snackable" marshmallows in a variety of innovative flavors like cookie dough and mint chocolate chip.
Though roasting s'mores isn't exactly flight-friendly, you're guaranteed to bring back some childhood memories when you sample the root beer-float flavored marshmallow in your United Classic snack box.
Find out more about United's food offerings.
This post is sponsored by United Airlines.
