Air New Zealand calling for taste testers in the Great Kiwi Snack Off
Calling
all
snacksperts!
Air
New
Zealand
is
looking
for
Kiwis
to
help
narrow
down
the
most
snack-tacular
treats
to
serve
its
customers
onboard
as
part
of
the
airline’s
Great
Kiwi
Snack
Off.
Earlier
this
year,
Air
New
Zealand
announced
a
nationwide
search
for
the
most
flavorful
Kiwi
snacks
to
introduce
onboard,
prompting
hundreds
of
passionate
suppliers
from
around
the
country
to
bring
their
creations
to
the
table.
Now
the
airline
is
seeking
five
foodies
to
put
their
tastebuds
to
the
test
and
help
the
airline
make
its
final
decision
on
what
snacks
will
be
served
onboard.
Air
New
Zealand
Chief
Customer
and
Sales
Officer
Leanne
Geraghty
says
more
than
400
suppliers
expressed
their
interest,
putting
forward
everything
from
nuts
to
nachos.
“We’ve
had
some
incredible
suppliers
reach
out
with
snacks
of
all
shapes
and
flavours
and
they’ve
got
some
great
stories
to
tell.
Whether
they’re
on
a
mission
to
highlight
the
best
of
locally
sourced
produce,
or
want
to
help
a
deserving
charity,
the
calibre
of
suppliers
has
been
exceptional.
We’ve
managed
to
whittle
the
list
down
to
30
suppliers
still
in
the
running,
but
we
need
a
hand
to
make
the
final
call.
“What’s
become
really
clear
through
this
process
is
Kiwis
are
passionate
about
snacks,
so
why
not
give
a
few
of
the
country’s
most
enthusiastic
foodies
a
chance
to
be
snacksperts
and
have
their
say
on
what
we
serve
onboard.”
Air
New
Zealand’s
panel
of
snackers
has
already
narrowed
down
the
list
to
ensure
suppliers
meet
key
requirements,
for
example,
options
that
can
be
served
without
heating and
are
easy
and
light
to
transport.
“We’ve
got
dozens
of
snacks
that
highlight
a
variety
of
classic
Kiwi
flavours
including
tangy
feijoas
and
kiwifruit
for
our
snacksperts
to
try.
From
cookies
and
bliss
balls
to
chicken
chips
and
crunchy
cheese,
it
won’t
be
an
easy
task
for
them
to
narrow
the
snacks
down.”
There’s
no
age
limit
for
those
who
want
to
put
their
name
forward
for
this
meaty
challenge,
with
kids
and
adults
alike
eligible
to
enter
to
become
snacksperts.
They’ll
be
given
the
chance
to
taste
test
the
snacks
in
Auckland
and
give
their
verdict,
before
the
final
selection
is
announced
in
the
coming
weeks.
Top
things
you
didn’t
know
about
onboard
snacks:
-
Every
snack
needs
to
be
easy
to
eat
(and
easy
to
clean!).
Some
aircraft
only
have
a
short
window
of
15-20
minutes
to
turn
around
for
their
next
flight,
so
snacks
that
won’t
make
a
huge
mess
and
create
lots
of
work
for
our
amazing
team
of
cleaners
are
important. -
Snacks
on
our
domestic
flights
need
to
be
easy
to
transport
and
fit
into
a
selection
of
containers.
Every
morning
and
afternoon
around
1,200
snacks
are
loaded
onto
an
aircraft,
so
the
snacks
need
to
be
small
enough
to
fit
in
these
containers. -
Every
aircraft
has
a
specific
amount
of
weight
allocated
for
food
and
catering,
so
the
snacks
need
to
meet
those
weight
restrictions. -
We
also
like
to
ensure
there
are
gluten
free
options
available
and
we
look
where
possible
to
source
other
options
such
as
vegan
and
dairy
free
options.
