MSC Cruises has announced that it has become the industry’s first major line to have its entire food safety supply chain and fleet of ships certified for onboard food safety by the global International Organization for Standardization, commonly known as ISO.

The company heralded its celebratory success on the World Health Organization’s ‘World Food Safety Day 2021’ today, following the granting of the internationally acclaimed and recognized ISO22000 food safety management system certification for 17 of the Company’s ships.

“(W)e’re extremely proud to be on top of the cruise industry’s league table for WHO’s World Food Safety Day with our fleet of ships and delighted that our entire food supply chain ‘from farm to fork’ has been certified,” said Genoa-based Managing Director of MSC Cruises’ Food and Beverage Division, Paolo Raia.

“We have demonstrated at MSC Cruises that our industry-leading health and safety protocol goes above and beyond what regulatory authorities demand, and it’s no different with food safety as we always strive to go one step further than what is required,” he added.

MSC’s two new vessels for 2021 – the MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore – are on track to be certified in the next few months, the cruise line said.

Onboard audits are undertaken by Bureau Veritas to verify that the highest standards of food safety are undertaken by MSC Cruises for its guests and crew. This year alone, MSC said, Bureau Veritas has conducted 36 separate audit days and examined more than 5,000 food safety records onboard the cruise line’s ships.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, MSC Cruises annually served up nearly 285 million dishes and poured more than 125 million drinks for its guests, according to a press release.

Raja said that food safety is “understandably” taken for granted within day-to-day society.

“A cruise ship needs to have a systematic, well-considered and planned approach in place to guarantee the food safety for guests and crew onboard,” he said.