Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) has been granted certification to begin offering a range of new cooked fish dishes on board its European flights, with a new menu already set to roll out across select services from Saturday, December 1.

The move follows the airline’s ANA Catering Service factory in Kawasaki being granted EU Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification that permits it to transport certain fish used in authentic Japanese dishes that would otherwise be unobtainable inside the EU to destinations in Europe in order to serve them to passengers on board flights bound for Japan.

With the HACCP certification, ANA is now able to serve dishes featuring sea bream, yellowtail and yellow jack to travellers flying out of Europe, and its first new menu is already set to roll out tomorrow.

From December 2018 until February 2019, first class passengers flying on ANA services out of London Heathrow, as well as the airline’s two Frankfurt departures to Tokyo Haneda, will be served a new authentic dish of salted-grilled sea bream with sesame seeds.

ANA has yet to detail other classes and services that will be getting new menus, however it has confirmed that it is now able to serve the following dishes with the EU HACCP certification:

  • Seaweed salt-grilled yellowtail/striped jack
  • Grilled yellowtail/sea bream/striped jack with soy-based yuzu citron sauce
  • Simmered yellowtail in miso sauce
  • Salt-grilled sea bream
  • Salt-grilled striped jack/sea bream with sesame
  • Japanese sake-steamed sea bream
  • Grilled striped jack with soy-based sauce
  • Japanese sake-grilled striped jack

“We always strive to give our passengers the best in-flight experience and this is why we wanted to do everything we can to ensure the cuisine we serve on flights from Europe is as authentic as possible,” said Mikio Kawasaki, president and CEO of ANA Catering Service.

The EU HACCP certification is necessary for any company to export products into Europe and requires a lengthy series of stringent approvals to obtain.

ANA recently unveiled its new menus featuring authentic cuisine from Japan’s Chugoku and Shikoku regions as part of its rotating “Tastes of Japan by ANA – Explore the Regions” campaign designed to showcase regional cuisine on board its flights.