All food supplies only from FLL now?

[kruisey]

The Regal last summer

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

I heard the food was excellent the first year on The Royal.

Second time round the next year not as good

[FritzG]

At the maitre d'-head chef performance on many of our cruises the maitre d' said that food comes from many ports which have been thoroughly checked for safety, etc. On our Ruby TA this past September all of the dairy products in containers were from the UK. The maitre d' said that most of the pasta, olive oil, canned tomatoes and sauces came from Italy.

[Loonbeam]

Technically Bruce is both correct and incorrect. If the ship is not calling in the US, the rules don't apply, but its easier for the lines just to follow them anyway for consistencies sake to have less suppliers.

 

Also, they do have to deal with certified vendors, who are all US based, but that doesn't mean those vendors have to Source from the US. Sysco as noted, meets all the requirements, but may work with overseas suppliers as a partner, thus meeting the technical requirements at least.

[Pam in CA]

I heard the food was excellent the first year on The Royal.

Second time round the next year not as good

True. It wasn't bad... just not as outstanding as on the Royal T/A last year. Last year, all sections of the buffet were open for lunch and dinner; this year, sections were blocked off or not used.

[BruceMuzz]

Here is an article as recent as less than a month ago that refutes your post, particularly as it pertains to Princess.

http://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/secrets/bizarre-world-cruise-ship-kitchens

 

Bruce, I guess you missed the pineapple boat.

 

Furthermore, premium lines are known for preparing meals with all local ingredients. That includes fish. I find many of your posts full of great information, but also some very misleading information. For example, your comment on fish being frozen a minimum of 72 hours before it is served to customers probably only pertains to any type of frozen fish, but not fresh fish.

 

Sorry, you are wrong.

Yes, there are a very few glimpses of flexibility, as the article said, when it comes to buying local items outside the USA. It certainly is possible. But the cruise line bean counters highly discourage it, and USPH is even less enchanted about it.

To show you how much they dislike it, when a cruise ship returns to the USA, USPH comes onboard to inspect all the food provisions. If they find even a small amount of food items that are identified as being produced outside the USA, they declare that any waste that comes off the ship is "Hazardous Foreign Waste", which requires outrageously expensive handling by specially licensed hazardous waste companies. This is to punish the cruise line for buying things outside the USA. This process goes on for several months, until the cruise line is re-inspected and can prove that they no longer carry any foreign food items.

 

When my ship is in Alaska, we purchase fresh mussels. We are forced to tell the seller and the officials that we plan to either serve them to the crew (fresh seafood is allowed to be served to the crew), or freeze them first before serving them to the passengers. Then we ensure that we are outside the 12 mile limit, and that no government officials are sailing with us. Then we serve them to the guests. Are we doing anything illegal? No. But if USPH has evidence that we are doing this, our next inspection will have many additional points deducted as punishment for not following their "suggestion".

 

Premium lines frequently get away with this as they have only a few ships (which rarely visit the USA) and stay under the USPH radar. Large mass market lines are too visible, spend too many days in US ports, and cannot afford the negative publicity from poor USPH inspection scores.

 

Most of the remaining pineapple plantations in Hawaii today are owned by Dole Pineapple Company.

Dole's primary distribution hub is San Francisco.

Pineapples are picked in Hawaii and put onboard American barges going to San Francisco.

Once in San Francisco, those pineapples are shipped out to many parts of the world - including Hawaii. Once those pineapples have made the round trip - and are nice and ripe - they are sold in Hawaii, with the addition of the round trip freight costs on American ships.

Edited December 3, 2014 by BruceMuzz

[Corfe Mixture]

Many here made quite good guesses on how it all works.

 

Firstly, the US Public Health Service requires that all protein food items served on ships from all the major cruise lines - anywhere in the world - must be purchased from US Certified vendors.

The only US Certified Vendors are located in the USA.

 

So the major cruise lines have all resorted to ordering and purchasing nearly all food items in the USA and shipping them to the vessels - wherever they might be.

 

And yes, sometimes it is less costly or easier to put lettuce in a container at one end of the country, ship it across the country and then back again - for pretty much the same reasons that all drive-up bank teller machines have braille on them.................

 

Nice to know that anyone who gets on a Princess cruise in Southampton, during the summer season, despite the fact that one of the two corporate headquarters of Carnival Corp can be seen from the ship, is going to be have the assurance that the food they will be eating will be not have been purchased in a country with poor food hygiene standards, even if that does mean that the lettuce is 'well travelled'. :rolleyes:

 

Seriously, given that Southampton is both a Corporate Headquarters of Carnival Corp., and the home port for both P&O and Cunard, both of whom are part of Carnival and have well established food supply arrangements, it seems incredible that Princess would feel compelled to ship food from Florida to Southampton to be loaded onto a ship which is registered outside the US.

 

 

 

When my ship is in Alaska, we purchase fresh mussels. We are forced to tell the seller and the officials that we plan to either serve them to the crew (fresh seafood is allowed to be served to the crew), or freeze them first before serving them to the passengers. Then we ensure that we are outside the 12 mile limit, and that no government officials are sailing with us. Then we serve them to the guests. Are we doing anything illegal? No. But if USPH has evidence that we are doing this, our next inspection will have many additional points deducted as punishment for not following their "suggestion".

 

I bet Princess are going to love you for making that statement.

[Stacycee]

Princess buys produce locally in Europe, Asia, Australia Etc....They have reputable suppliers which they have used for years. There is no way produce would last 30 days in a container with out going bad. I know this bc I used to work with them.

[Colo Cruiser]

Nice to know that anyone who gets on a Princess cruise in Southampton, during the summer season, despite the fact that one of the two corporate headquarters of Carnival Corp can be seen from the ship, is going to be have the assurance that the food they will be eating will be not have been purchased in a country with poor food hygiene standards, even if that does mean that the lettuce is 'well travelled'. :rolleyes:

 

Seriously, given that Southampton is both a Corporate Headquarters of Carnival Corp., and the home port for both P&O and Cunard, both of whom are part of Carnival and have well established food supply arrangements, it seems incredible that Princess would feel compelled to ship food from Florida to Southampton to be loaded onto a ship which is registered outside the US.

 

 

 

 

 

I bet Princess are going to love you for making that statement.

 

 

 

Makes you wonder, EH.