Reputation means different things to different people. Obviously, for people who associate flying with food the fact that BA may stop giving any for free will mean a bad thing. As far as I can see it I might as well complain when a restaurant does not do my dry-cleaning when I go for dinner. Other airlines lost their reputation because their hard product sucked and they had/still have some of the most disinterested employees. Food had nothing to do with that. It is because BA was so far ahead and introduced a flat bed in business class that other airlines were behind. And these airlines lost their reputation in premium classes, not in economy. But premium classes are different. I don't think that in economy there is any difference, unless, of course, one really wants to make a point and say that crisps amount to full service.