Of all the dangers associated with a seafaring life, poor diet and food hygiene would probably rank low in a list of most crews' concerns. When you're contending with long and demanding days at sea, the last thing on your mind is getting your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day or worrying about bacteria in a curry. Yet the close-quarters nature of ship environments means infectious diseases can be passed on very easily. In the case of food poisoning, a single batch of bad food served in the ship's dining room can end up affecting everyone, causing sickness or injury and affecting crew efficiency. In extreme cases, sick crew might need to be medically evacuated by the coastguard and the vessel might be detained pending a thorough investigation, at great cost to the ship's operator and manager.
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