Overview
- The ZDF besseresser episode aired on February 17 shows ICE meals are industrially preprocessed and only reheated on board due to space, safety and scheduling constraints.
- Analyses cited in the broadcast found the tomato soup contains 54% tomatoes with numerous stabilizers, the falafel balls are about 40% chickpeas with fillers, and the streusel cake uses palm fats instead of butter.
- Currywurst and fries are fully preprocessed, with grill marks applied during production and frozen, unseasoned fries designed to withstand microwave reheating.
- Prices significantly exceed supermarket equivalents, including €7.90 for tomato soup versus roughly €0.87 at retail, €6.90 for the falafel wrap, and €10.90 for currywurst with fries.
- DB highlights the scale and role of the service—about 18.6 million users in 2024, roughly €128 million in revenue, and around 600,000 currywurst portions per year—while framing catering as part of the travel experience rather than a profit center.