Unsuspected Kitchen Hazards Onboard Rigs, Ships and Platforms
Shipping crews may be prone to seasickness and homesickness, but what about food-sickness? Although aware of the biggest offenders—meats, poultry and fish—some ingredients appear harmless but are in fact a common culprit in food-poisoning cases. Thankfully, trained marine caterers can recognize and prevent safety concerns onboard by taking the necessary precautions when preparing risky foods. Look below for items appearing on this list; many of them are assumed to be strictly healthful.
Leafy Greens
Surprisingly, salads can make shipping crews sick. Despite all of the nutrients and vitamins packed within, green vegetables like lettuce, spinach, cabbage and kale are easily contaminated by manure, pesticides and water at the farm, manufacturing plant or on the shipping vessel. In fact, such hazards threaten all porous fruits and vegetables. Sprouts are vulnerable to bacteria too, particularly in humid, damp environments. For this reason, marine caterers should avoid such vegetables if there are any elderly or sickly (low-immunity) shipping crew members onboard.
Potatoes
Spuds, like pours, are hubs for bacterial activity. But these crevices are not to fear in the kitchen—only from the vendor or manufacturer. Marine caterers can clean hazardous foods adequately, but when prepared offsite (i.e. potato salad), there is no way to confirm the spuds have been scrubbed, rinsed and handled with care. Furthermore, when dealing with creviced surfaces, it’s important for caterers to clean up and contain the mess, as it’s easy for bacteria to travel and contaminate other foods. This is more common than some would think: Listeria, E.coli and Salmonella outbreaks happen frequently.
Dairy Products
Soft cheeses are more at-risk than hard cheeses—feta, brie, camembert and blue cheese (to name a few). The bacterial woes surrounding cheese, however, also involve ice cream, yogurt and milk. Raw milk, in particular, which forgoes pasteurization, makes it easier for the bacteria found in cattle to survive. Thankfully, research shows no significant difference in nutritional value between pasteurized and raw milk products. Both, however, require proper storage conditions (i.e. refrigeration) to remain safe until consumption.
