however, there are four problems with this policy. first, if the passenger meal is contaminated with food-poisoning bacteria, the crew will also be affected. they would then be unable to assist passenger who were being ill, as they would be ill too. for this reason, it is the standard policy on all aircraft for the pilot and co-pilot to have completely different meals. second, the menu cycle for passengers may be several weeks. However, crew fly frequently and they would quickly become bored by having exactly the same meal, every time they worker a flight. for this reason, some airlines develop a specail menu cycle for crew meals. third, the crew, expecially the cabin crew, are engaged in physical work. this menus that that their energy intake from food need to be sufficient for them to undertake this work. typically, this means food items and dishes low in fat and high in carbohydrates. this is another reason for having a crew menu. finally, in some cases the crew may be working on flights that have little or no food service, but the flight time, or their shift pattern, entiles them to a meal or sanck, again to keep their energy levels up.