Work at a major airline catering company; ALWAYS request alternative meals (kosher, halal, vegan, gluten-free, w/e) as those are most likely made by a third-party/ certified companies in smaller quantities- otherwise you’ll get what is cooked ‘in bulk’ and chances are it didn’t follow most of the sanitary requirements as everyone is always rushing against the clock.

TBH, most of the meals wouldn’t pass a health department/ FDA inspection, which is why most food companies bribe the sh*t out of them in order to be able to operate. To put it in perspective, imagine that a regular restaurant cooks ~1k dishes a day whilst catering companies can cook as much as 30k a day, so remember that filthy local joint that popped up on the news as being ‘unsanitary’? Well, multiply it by a 1000 and you will know exactly what you’re eating.

Even though I fly about 2~3 times a month I don’t remember the last time I ate anything on the plane: I always bring my stuff and if I can’t I’ll ask for the vegan option.