Image Credit: Monarch

A British airline is now offering in-flight food specially designed to improve the mood of its passengers.

Britain’s Monarch Airlines, formulated the ‘Monarch Mood Food Box’ with a food psychologist and will serve different parts of the box at particular points in the journey chosen to heighten the effectiveness of the food.

The Mood Food Box includes “relaxing green tea and lavender cakes”, “energising snack bars” and “immunity boosting echinacea and liquorice ice-cream”.

Monarch said after surveying over 2, 000 British holidaymakers, over a third said stress was their biggest holiday mood killer.

Food was however listed as the best “mood booster” for 60 per cent of holidaymakers.

The food psychologist behind the mood food box, Professor Charles Spence, explained the reasoning behind each of the foods, saying the black colour of the liquorice ice cream is designed to delight passengers.

“The black colour is certainly counter-intuitive – most passengers think of white or pale colours with the ice cream,” Professor Spence said.

“This may also help to distracts passengers from their chaotic journey whilst also surprising them and playing into childlike nostalgia.”

The green tea and lavender mocha rice cakes will be given to passengers at take-off to help relax nervous flyers.

“The soft, chewy texture of the rice encourages mastication which has proven anti-stress properties, reducing tension much chewing gum,” Professor Spence said.

Approximately 30 minutes into the flight passengers will be given a specially designed tea and help aid bloating and digestion that Monarch says effects 18 per cent of travellers.

Just before leaving the flight, the passengers will be given a caramelised nut bar coated in umami flavoured mushroom and tomato powder to re-energise and awaken the passengers’ senses.

“Travelling is a time when we’re under pressure and rushed, so eating well is often an afterthought,” Professor Spence said.

“I’ve loved working with Monarch to use food – which can be a powerful psychological and physiological tool – to create the first ever real ‘happy’ meal to get travellers in the holiday mood as quickly as possible.”

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