An X user recently criticised Vistara Airlines for labelling their in-flight meals as "Hindu" (vegetarian) and "Muslim" (chicken). Aarti Tikoo Singh took to X to denounce the airline for reinforcing stereotypes and dividing food choices along religious lines. She also questioned whether Vistara intended to associate food preferences with religious identity, sarcastically wondering if they would also segregate passengers and vegetables by religion.
''Hello @airvistara, why the hell is a vegetarian meal called a ''Hindu meal'' and a chicken meal called a “Muslim meal” on your flights? Who told you that all Hindus are vegetarian and all Muslims are non-vegetarian? Why are you thrusting food choices on people? Who authorised you to do this? Are you now going to communalise vegetables, chicken and passengers on a flight too? I was so shocked by this pathetic behaviour that I booked both meals to defy your order,'' she wrote, including a screenshot of her ticket showing one "Hindu meal" and one "Moslem meal".
Take a look at the tweet:
Her post quickly gained widespread attention, leading to a surge of comments. While some users voiced similar concerns, urging Vistara to clarify the rationale behind the "Hindu" and "Muslim" meal labels, others stepped in to provide additional context and explanation.
Several social media users pointed out that the meal codes are not unique to Vistara but are part of a broader industry standard. They noted that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) sets these standardised meal codes, which are adopted throughout the aviation sector to facilitate meal management and communication among airlines, caterers, and ground staff. This system ensures consistency and efficiency in addressing various passenger meal needs.
One X user commented, “Are you travelling after a long time? This is nothing new, international flights have that classification too. Instead of writing halal, they put Muslim meal, same for Hindu veg meal which might have onion and garlic and Jain veg meal would not have onion, garlic, etc.”
Sanjay Lazar, CEO of Avialaz Consultants explained, “FYI in general aviation parlance, a Hindu Meal (HNML) is NOT necessarily a Veg meal - it could be a Non Veg meal that is not Halal. Similarly, a Moslem meal (MOML) is a Non-Vegetarian meal that is HALAL.”
Sanjiv Kapoor, an experienced aviation professional and former CEO-designate of Jet Airways, commented on the issue, stating, ''These are standard international meal codes used globally across GDS-based airlines, not just by Vistara. However, I do think IATA or whoever needs to update/modernize these outdated and at times somewhat puzzling meal codes.
