Why airline food tastes so bad

A new study found a surprising connection between the blandness of in-flight meals and... flyers' ears

In-flight dining less than appetizing? Blame the noise, not the food.
(Image credit: Corbis)

In-flight dining has a bad reputation, but — according to a pioneering study from the University of Manchester and Unilever — poor catering isn't the only reason tray-table meals tend to taste bad. "I'm sure airlines do their best," says researcher Andy Woods, but another factor plays a part in how we perceive taste and texture in the air: Namely, background noise. (Watch Shep Smith protest against airline food.) Here's a concise summary:

How was the study conducted?

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