A port-state officer boards in a Mediterranean port during a charter turnaround and asks to see your food-safety documentation. The chef hands him a folder of fridge temperatures. The officer asks, "Where is the hazard analysis?" You have ninety seconds to demonstrate that this vessel manages food safety as a system rather than as a habit.
Which law applies to a yacht?
There is no single global food law for yachts. Your obligations come from several directions at once, and the supervisor must know which:
| Source | What it typically requires |
|---|---|
| Flag state | The vessel follows the flag administration's rules; food and catering provisions sit within the maritime labour and safety regime |
| Port state | Local food and public-health law can apply while alongside, and inspectors may board |
| Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) | Food and catering standards for crew: sufficient, wholesome food; potable water; trained catering staff; documented inspections |
| Charter / management company | Contractual standards, often stricter than law, plus insurer requirements |
| The vessel's own FSMS | The documented system you wrote — you are held to your own written standard |
Statutory detail varies by jurisdiction. The figures taught in catering (cook to a core 75°C, hot-hold at or above 63°C, chill at 5°C or below, and the 8°C legal ceiling used in some jurisdictions) are widely-taught standards, not universal statute. Always attach the number to the principle it serves, and let the vessel's documented FSMS and its flag/port-state rules govern the actual figure you write into a critical limit.
Duties of the food business
Expressed in outline, and near-universal in food-safety regimes:
- Food placed before people must be safe and must not be injurious to health or unfit.
- The operation must have a documented food-safety management system based on HACCP principles, kept up to date.
- Food handlers must be supervised, instructed and trained in food hygiene commensurate with their work.
- Premises and equipment must be kept clean and maintained; potable water must be used.
- Food must be traceable — you must be able to say where it came from.
- Allergen information must be accurate and available.
- Anything unsafe must be withdrawn and the incident notified.
Duties of the supervisor
- Translate that system into daily practice, and verify it.
- Train, monitor and correct food handlers, and record that you did.
- Keep the records that prove control, and act on them when they show drift.
- Escalate to the captain and to management when control is lost.
Onboard Notes
- Know your flag state and know whether your management company has a group food-safety standard. Both bind you.
- Keep a one-page summary of your FSMS at the front of the folder — an inspector who sees structure in ten seconds asks easier questions.
- Never invent a legal figure to a guest or officer. Say what your FSMS requires and show the record.
Scope note: xplor is not an approved centre or an accredited training provider. This lesson is preparatory study only - no certificate and no regulated qualification is awarded here, and a Level 3 supervising food safety award must be sat and assessed with an approved centre of a regulated awarding organisation.