Food Hygiene - Commercial Yachts

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alant

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Part of an item issued by the RYA recently -

"If you are operating a commercial yacht in Europe you are deemed to be preparing food for customers and will have to comply with a new European regulation.

At its most stringent, this would require freezers on board and skippers to attend a food hygiene course. The RYA has negotiated a sensible compromise -------- which is a set of risk assessment guidelines to be carried out on board (HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control points).

Download these guidelines from www.rya.org.uk/WorkingWithUs/trainingcentres/Foodhygiene.htm "

Phew! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Agree commercial yachts should comply with food hygiene regs.

Training should be adequate for the type of food being prepared. eg. if the boat provides cup a soups, tea and coffee then the training could be minimal. If the food is a turkey with all the trimmings for ten crew, then the food handlers, (not necessarily the skipper) might attend a 6hr basic food hygiene course.

These are not daunting, on the contrary they are common-sense. Most of which we know already. The entertaining bits are examples of what happens at eg. wedding receptions when the guests go down with food poisoning.

Anyway, the company will defend itself from prosecution and damages by showing due diligance. An element of DD is suitable training.

HACCP is not to be feared either. With the benefit of your basic training, apply a little thought to what you are doing food-wise and figure out the ways it can all go wrong. Eliminate or minimise those ways. Eg. buy food from a reputable source - not a dodgy guy who comes round the boats offering a good deal on meat minus it's labelling. Stock control - don't allow food to go out of date, consume it! etc.

Write down your method of minimising risk and review/update it each season - job done.
 
[ QUOTE ]
...this would require freezers on board and skippers to attend a food hygiene course.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why would I want my freezer to attend a course? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I don't suppose anyone does disagree with some sort of training in a commercial environment, but reading the booklets who in their right mind would not know the risks involved, I mean, my dogs will tell you that if it is covered in blue fur it could be past its sell by date.
 
Absolutely.
As I say, most we know already and is common sense.
(except some foods should be blue with mould - Danish blue cheese for example. We'd ask for our money back if we didn't have mould eh?)
 
Fair comment, but I am a tight old beggar, the dogs don't get a look in at the cheese board, unless a few biccies left over! Probably why they have a better sense of smell and taste than me?
 
Of course anyone running a commercial boat should adhere to food hygene standards. Just like anyone else who's effectively selling food.

Anyone have a link to the appropriate standards though. If the RYA has had to negotiate a "sensible compromise", then it all smacks of yet another piece of legislation designed by commitee that's completely unworkable in the small boat environment. What's fine for a cross channel ferry or cruise liner may not even be possible for a yacht.
 
No more Pterodactyl breasts stuffed with pesto and sun dried tom's wrapped in Parma ham for you!!!

And you can kiss goodbye to Dyplidocus minted ribs also!!

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Tina. xxx /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Of course commercial yachts should comply with food hygiene regs. I was on a comm. yacht last summer and the food hygiene was appalling. The worst thing was the raw sausages wrapped only in cellophane, floating around in a coolbox which gradually filled with water as the ice provided for cooling melted. There was no suitable container in which to seal the meat foods. Thos coolbox was one of those which runs off the mains but, for some reason, the skipper was reluctant to plug it in (even when we were in a marina). I guess he thought that the risk of food poisoning was better than paying for electricity or the risk of a drained battery.
 
Mad, ludicrous, barmey!!!

There are quiet a few charter businesses on here, and I for one, as food is my third passion, (Tina, Sailing, Food) I go out of my way to make sure that victuals are well above expectations!! Every person who sails with us receives a 'feed back form' covering class of instructor/skipper, quality of the equipment and vessel, and standard of food. I am very pleased to state that we enjoy fantastic feed back in all areas, stand fast one individual requesting we supply wine during supper!!!! We have no liquor License so can not provide alcohol.(And on a course, will not!)

Any road, snuff of that. I am going to watch 'The Battle of the River Plate'!!!!!!!!!!

"Snorker's! Good oh!!"

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No way!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Short tack and slide, if you're on watch, washed down with hot Ribenna and honey. If off watch, a warm bunk!!!!!!!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Seriously, chilli con-carni, or a shepeards pie, or cottage pie. Ingredients from our local butcher, and veg from the local farm! I do go over the top with food, love cooking on board. As you will experience in 2007, Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Al. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Food Hygiene - Commercial Yachts - Self catering perhaps??

"No more Pterodactyl breasts stuffed with pesto and sun dried tom's wrapped in Parma ham for you!!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

And you can kiss goodbye to Dyplidocus minted ribs also!!" /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Reading the guidelines, best anyone can do in future, will be 'tinned grub'! Straight from the tin, just in case the beans arn't at the correct temperature.

Or is it self catering from now on? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Re: Food Hygiene - Commercial Yachts - Self catering perhaps??

Snorker's! Good oh!!" is from The Cruel Sea actually.
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T'was "Bangers Good oh!" The Aussie No. 1.
 
Re: Food Hygiene - Commercial Yachts - Self catering perhaps??

Really???????????????????????? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Actually!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Hmmm! That sounds good. You have a way with wurds, Al! And you're a civilised sort of cove, in a civilised sort of boat. And you could probably make any other sort, sort-of-civilised too.

I was 'persuaded' to tack along on a Fastnet Race earlier this century, and among the promises was that one of of the hot-shot youngsters - whose girlfriend was a nutritionist - would take responsibility for all the victualling. On the day of depart, he turned up with nothing - he'd had a 'spat' with GF, so renaged on his critical task! I'd have left him standing on the quayside, but the owner was a softy-vegetarian, who had a weeks' supply of lettuce and cucumber stowed away.....

We got to Cowes early on a Sunday morning, there was s*d-all on board, and only the paper shops open. So instead of reading myself into the weather and start instructions, I had to chase around every wee local backstrete shoppe looking for their entire supply of yesterday's filled rolls..... and some Mars Bars, etc. And coffee. And half-covered biscuits. And....

We went, of course. And before Hurst, said useless hot-shot was grumbling about the need for food. By Portland, he could be heard for many boat-lengths. It was hot, hot, hot. The butter curdled, the cold meat started wriggling, and the pair of hotshots were about to learn something important about offshore sailing that many years of Sunday afternoon racing would never teach 'em - that you prepared for the worst imaginable, and when it happened, you had stuff in your bag to cope with it. Then you coped.....

My vegetarian friend grinned wider and wider. He had his bucket of organic vegetables, and he was a tough old bird, anyway. It was our problem. Or rather, theirs....

What I had, I would share. But only on a barter system. I believe in the ethics of that. That's how I got my current top-of-the-range handheld GPS, another mobile phone, and a Buffalo mountain survival shirt. All from the same fellow.....

The other bloke was fine.

The trip lasted just under 5 days. We had plenty of water. If 'fellow-me-lad' learned anything from the trip, I hope it is that you move heaven and earth to meet your self-selected obligations to your team/crew. If he hasn't, I suspect that he'll have to repeat the whole sad experience another day. And maybe another.....

Most boats and offshore trips could function well enough with just a couple on board. Extra crew need to add something extra to the 'stew'. Even if it is only a packet of HobNobs on a long night watch.

It's not enuff just to be there.


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