According to the Seafarers Happiness Index, a quarterly survey conducted by the Mission to Seafarers, based on data from Quarter 4 of 2024, food and diet on board present mixed experiences for seafarers, with several factors influencing satisfaction.

The quality of meals often depends heavily on the skills of individual cooks, leading to wide variations in dining experiences from one ship to another.

Storage limitations can also affect the availability of fresh produce, especially on longer voyages, where fresh fruits and vegetables become scarce after the initial weeks.

Combined with concerns about the quality of provisions from supply chains, this has left some seafarers questioning the standards of the food they receive.

The contract length of cooks plays a role as well, with longer contracts leading to a noticeable decline in meal variety and freshness over time. Many feel that cooks should be on shorter contracts, as the menus and food experiences become repetitive over the months. As one put it, “a change in cook can be as good as a rest”.

Budget constraints are a recurring theme, with respondents noting that companies are cutting food budgets, which can negatively impact the quality and variety of provisions. 

Additionally, some seafarers report dissatisfaction with food vendors/chandlers, alleging they provide low-quality or near-expiration items, and call for a reassessment of suppliers to ensure better standards.

A respondent said: “Our company uses a company which intentionally uses us to dump near expiration food. They cater to restaurants who can return items, and they know we are stuck with it.”

Furthermore, third-party provision management, where food suppliers are contracted externally, has been flagged as a source of concern, with some seafarers reporting that these arrangements lead to poor-quality ingredients or management processes more suited to shore establishments than ships.

Photo credit: iStock/ izikMd. Generic photo of chefs in a kitchen.