In-flight caterers are faced with an immense challenge of catering for each passenger on-
board a flight without knowing the flight's final passenger load or the meal preferences of its
passengers. These uncertainties lead to excessive amounts of waste generation because in-
flight caterers tend to over-produce meals to mitigate the risk of meal shortages and
dissatisfied passengers. This paper evaluates the value of combining product substitution
and meal demand uncertainty within an inventory decision-making model as a potential …

The in-flight catering industry is a major contributor to food wastage. This wastage is a direct
result of the deliberate overproduction of in-flight meals to protect against meal shortages
and dissatisfied passengers. With the global strive towards sustainability and the resulting
impact of wastage on a company's corporate image, in-flight catering companies need a
solution that strives to achieve zero waste and a 100% passenger satisfaction level.