Key reason why pilots on the same plane have to eat different meals on board

A former cabin crew member has explained why pilots must eat different meals on their flights.

You might not think much about what’s being plated up at 35,000 feet, while you're lost in a good Netflix series or trying to get some sleep.

But, according to a former Virgin Atlantic cabin crew member, even the pilots have strict rules about what they can and can’t eat mid-flight - and it all comes down to safety.

Mandy Smith, former cabin crew for Virgin Atlantic, and author of Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of a Virgin Air Hostess, lifted the lid on life in the sky in a YouTube video with LADbible Stories.

She spent 12 years as an air hostess, and during that time learned that mealtimes on board aren’t just about keeping passengers fed.

A lot of thought goes into what the pilots are eating too, and for good reason.

(Juan Silva/Getty Images)

Mandy revealed that you won't catch pilots scarfing down the same meal on a flight.

"So, if one has the chicken, the other one has to have the fish. They always decide that between themselves before they tell us what they want."

Mandy explained the reason why: in case either of them has food poisoning.

"Obviously, we don't want both of them throwing up!" Mandy adds. "Not that our food is ever bad!"

She added that it was simply a 'precautionary measure.'

So the next time you're taking a flight, you'll know this fun little fact...

And on the note of food, Mandy also explained why what we eat in the air tastes so different.

"It's not the food that's bad, it's your taste buds that are different in mid-air," she says.

"So, the pressure of the cabin affects your whole body, even your taste buds. It affects all of your gastric anomalies, and your brain and everything, so, it does affect your taste buds as well."

Who'd have thought!?

"If you actually tasted that food on the ground, which is what the chefs do when they're creating the menu, it actually tastes quite salty, and quite strong."

She added that the chefs have to make it stronger flavoured 'because of the taste bud situation.'

The more you know!