For Hindus, BA takes beef off its menu

LONDON: British Airways has taken beef off its menu for economy-class passengers on most international flights in a bid to avoid offending Hindus.

The carrier, whose second-biggest long-haul market is to India, has instead switched to a fish pie or a chicken portion, citing “religious restrictions”, Daily Mail reported on Friday.

“We can only serve two options and beef and pork obviously have religious restrictions. We have to try to use two meals which appeal to as many customers as possible,” a British Airways spokesperson was quoted as saying.

“This summer season, we are offering customers in World Traveller on most long-haul flights a choice of chicken and fish pie.”

The airlines also noted changing tastes.

“We also look at trends from major supermarkets to see what types of meals are popular and fish pie style meals are selling well at the moment. These two meals proved popular in tasting tests,” the spokesperson said.

UK Hindu body welcomes BA’s beef decision

The Hindu Council in the United Kingdom has welcomed the British Airways’s decision of taking beef off its menu for economy-class passengers on most international flights.

“The Hindu community will welcome this decision and the news it has been made partly because Hindus don’t eat beef,” said a spokesperson for Hindu Council.

“Hindus have a great deal of respect for British culture and are well integrated into the British way of life, so it’s good to see evidence of how they are literally flying the British flag by choosing British Airways. Hindus are tolerant of beliefs of others and do not expect everyone to stop eating a food because they don’t eat it.”