Admiralty Lawsuit Attorneys

Food Poisoning on Cruise Ships

The amount and variety of food available to passengers on cruise ships is amazing. There are a number of meals available which make consumption almost obscene. What many don’t realize is that a cruise, like any other vacation, can be ruined by food poisoning or food-borne disease.

When an outbreak of food poisoning occurs on a cruise ship, it can affect a large number of people. This is because the majority of passengers eat the same foods while on the ship. In June of 2000, an outbreak occurred on the Disney Magic that affected 260 passengers.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the government agency that is responsible for investigating outbreaks of food poisoning on cruise ships. In the Disney Magic case, illness was traced back to shrimp that was served during the embarkation lunch buffet. Outbreaks of the scale of the one on Disney Magic are relatively rare, considering the number of people who board a cruise ship each year. The CDC works with the cruise line industry to prevent food poisoning.

In the early 1970s, the CDC created its Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). This program is a cooperative activity between the CDC and the cruise ship industry. It is designed to help minimize the risk of gastrointestinal diseases. While there are still outbreaks, the number of outbreaks per year has decreased by 75 – 80% since the 1970s. In the 1970s and early 1980s, there were 12 to 15 outbreaks of diarrheal illness each year on cruise ships. By 1999, the outbreaks had decreased to three.

The VSP works by inspecting close to 150 participating cruise ships while they are tied off in a U.S. port. These inspections are conducted twice a year and are financed by the ship’s owner. The fee charged is based on the ship’s tonnage. During the inspection, the ships are judged against the “Vessel Sanitation Program Operations Manual.” Each ship is given a score of between 1 and 100. Scores of 86 and above are considered passing. If a ship fails an inspection, it will be inspected again in the next four to six weeks.

The inspectors check:

• Food
• Water
• Spas
• Pools
• Employee hygiene
• Overall level of cleanliness on the ship

The best part is that the scores are published on the VSP website. Also in cruise travelers’ favor is the annual CDC “Summary of Sanitation Inspections of International Cruise Ships” or “green sheet.” More than 6,000 travel-related services in the world receive the green sheet.

While the VSP encourages cleanliness, it is not foolproof. The Disney Magic scored a 94 in December of 1999, a mere 6 months before its food poisoning outbreak.

Contact an Admiralty Lawyer

If you have been extremely sick due to food poisoning on a cruise ship, contact the admiralty lawsuit attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 today.