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Luxury cruise line ‘hid food in staff cabins’ to avoid inspection
Staff on one of the world’s most luxurious cruise lines hid more than 15 trolleys of food in cabins to try to avoid it being seen by health protection officers, according to a report into a sudden inspection carried out on board Silversea’s Silver Shadow in June.
The damning report claimed staff had tried to hide cooked and raw food, including raw meat, cheeses and vegetables as well as kitchen equipment in over 10 cabins shared by two or three galley crew members.
Health inspection officers working for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who’d boarded the ship for a surprise inspection, poured concentrated chlorine liquid over all the discarded foods to make sure it wouldn’t be eaten.
The ship was told to ensure food operations were not conducted in a room used as living or sleeping quarters and given a long list of other recommendations by the health inspectors.
Officers also found a variety of both raw and uncooked food and ready-to-eat food on decks and on and under beds in a number of cabins used by crew.
The ship failed the inspection, scoring 82 points, just three points below the required 85 for a ‘satisfactory’ rating.
Other violations uncovered during the June inspection included errors in the cooling process of hazardous foods found in the walk-in refrigerator, and dirt and debris in the walk-in vegetable refrigerator.
Silversea said it had taken immediate measures to ensure Silver Shadow "retains the highest standards in all areas of its operations" , including additional staff training and monitoring. A sister ship, the Silver Spirit, received a top score of 100 during an inspection in April.
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Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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