Clear contracts on food quality and deliverySUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS

Good advice on provisioning for shipowners and ships

Publisher: Seahealth DenmarkResponsible Editor: Connie S. GehrtText: Carsten Gydahl-JensenEditorial team: Annelise Ømand,

Carsten Gydahl-Jensen and Jonas Licht

Illustrations: Lars-Ole NejstgaardGraphic design: martinsonnedesignPrinted by: Grefta Tryk A/S

© Seahealth Denmark 2014, Copenhagen. All rights reserved. All trademarks acknowledged. Limited copying permitted with acknowledge-ment of source.

Special thanks to seafarers and shipowners, ESVAGT, Maersk Line, Maersk Supply, Rohde Nielsen, A2SEA, DS-NORDEN, Wrist Group and Garrets International Ltd.

ISBN: 978-87-92084-34-7

Contents

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1. Points for consideration 4

2. Consignments 5

3. Shelf-life / expiry date 6

4. Confusion 8

5. Product packaging, transport and condition 9

6. Higher risk products 10

7. Requirements and considerations - other food products 12

8. Special precautions 13

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION

When making a contract with a supplier or when the ship places an order with a supplier, it is a good idea to be aware of the issues described in this guidance.

Shipowners should draw up a schedule of the terms and conditions and the quality require-ments they stipulate for a supplier. And it is a good idea to do so in conjunction with suppliers and ships’ cooks.

The simplest way is to divide requirements into general requirements and those for individual product groups. In this guidance are some of the general requirements and points for considera-tion that you could consider in your own speci-fication. There is also a short description of what you should be especially aware of, for example higher risk products such as meat, fish and vegetables.

1. Points for consideration– when the shipowner makes a contract with a food

supplier or when you order stores yourself

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS CHAPTER? CONSIGNMENTS

The veterinary authorities prevent suppliers from breaking packs of some goods into smaller packs. This may mean that the ship receives larger portions of a product than it actually needs. This is especially risky if it involves frozen meat in large portions since it is unsafe food handling to defrost meat and then refreeze it.

Action:• Ask your supplier whether it is possible to

order small packs of a comparable product.• The contract should include the fact that the

shipowner/ship does not wish to receive deliveries of a product if the supplier is unable

to break the consignment into smaller packs. State instead that where possible, the ship-owner/ship would prefer to receive replace-ment products of the same quality in smaller packs.

• If large quantities of frozen meat are involved, it may be possible to defrost, prepare and cook the meat and then possibly refreeze.

• Careful consideration and knowing how the meat can then be used are important to prevent subsequent wastage, also when handing over to the next ships’ cook on duty when signing off.

2. Consignments– size and quantities of individual products per consignment

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS SHELF-LIFE /EXPIRY DATE

How much product shelf-life does the supplier promise before expiry date has run out? Most suppliers have guidelines for how much of a pro duct’s shelf-life must be remaining when it leaves the supplier.

It is also necessary to enquire about and receive assurances on guarantees for the quality of products if delivery times are lengthy. While products are on their way, who is liable for their quality?

Action:• Check on the suppliers’ attitude to remaining

shelf-life and assess whether products are suitable for lengthy transport.

• Agree with the supplier on the possible options if products are a long time on their way. Who is responsible when products are to be delivered to the ship as fast as possible?

• It is a good idea to check food manufacturers’ general expectations for shelf-life for basic products so as to get an idea on how long it is reasonable to expect provisions to last.

• Check on and arrange how individual pro-ducts should be transported from the supplier to the ship.

• Arrange and make it a requirement for deli-veries to comply with the current regulations on food safety.

• Focus on manageable, known product range.

It often turns out that ships order the same products again and again. Even when it repea-tedly turns out that some food products have been set aside and sometimes thrown away because they have been superfluous or because the ships’ cook has had no use for them.

3. Shelf-life / expiry date

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS CHAPTER? HOLDBARHED / REST LEVETID

Action:• To prevent orders being placed for products

that the ships’ cook has no use for, the ship-owner have the option of restricting for example cuts of meat to those most generally used on a particular ship or depending on the shipowners’ situation. Take advice from the ships’ cook and supplier.

• Make sure you draw up a proper, well-de-scribed handover schedule for the ships’ cook and rotating crew.

• Make sure that there are product declarations and usage options described in your working language for the products you buy.

• If possible when placing orders, get the ships’ cook involved in the planning process.

• When stocktaking, always place the oldest products at the front and list the products by their approaching expiry dates.

• Use the menu plans and recipes that are available.

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS CONFUSION

When provisioning, there are various pitfalls to be aware of. Typically, these cause confusion or make it difficult to compare products and prices. Be aware of:

• Whether products are given in kilos or litres.• Whether numbers relate to items in a pack or

numbers of packs (for example, are there 10 x 10 packs of raisins or 10 x 1 pack of raisins?)

• Whether the product description is clear and precise (for example are ”fish fillets” cod or coalfish?)

• It is often difficult to compare cuts of meat since different countries have different names and uses for various cuts. For example, it is dif-ficult to get pork for roasting outside Denmark.

4. Confusion – confusion about size, numbers and descriptions

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS CHAPTER? PRODUCT PACKAGING, TRANSPORT AND CONDITION

Apart from the issues of product shelf-life and pack sizes, the following should be specified in a supplier contract:

• Transport should be under approved condi-tions with respect to food safety and self-as-sessment i.e. frozen goods must be kept frozen, chilled products refrigerated, etc.

• Specified invoices/product lists must be sup-plied together with the stores.

• As many of the products as possible must be delivered in parcels that correspond to the pack size ordered.

• If not, this must be justified by the supplier so as to prevent misunderstandings.

• Insofar as possible, frozen foods should always be loose frozen, making it easy to defrost the quantity to be used. Frozen foods that have obviously thawed during transport and refro-zen should always be returned because of shelf-life issues and to maintain food safety.

• All packs should be intact and not wet, and cans should have no dents or rust.

5. Product packaging, transport and condition

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS HIGHER RISK PRODUCTS

There are some groups of products where it especially pays to be precise in your quality requirements. For example:• Meat• Fish, crayfish and shellfish• Fruit and vegetables

Meat• Stipulate the countries that the shipowner

and ships would prefer to get its meat from (e.g. Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina).

• Stipulate the countries that the shipowner will not accept meat from.

• To ensure food safety, it is unacceptable for meat to:– Have unnecessary amounts of bone, fats,

water or other unnecessary additives (con-sider stating an acceptable percentage of fat in minced meat).

– Smell bad and have a slimy surface. – Have a colour due to the meat not being

fresh or having been damaged.– Lack date stamps or a description of country

of origin. – Not to be properly, hygienically and sepa-

rately packed.

Fish, crayfish and shellfish:The following apply to fresh fish:• Whole fresh fish must have been gutted. • Whole fresh fish must have smooth skins and

clear protruding eyes. • Whole fresh fish must be shiny, without

discolouration or sores.

• The flesh of whole fresh fish must be firm.• The flesh must not be slimy to touch, or smell

unpleasant/bad.

The following apply to frozen fish:• Fish that has been cut up and frozen is difficult

to assess. When delivered, frozen fish must have the ordinary characteristics of quality when subsequently defrosted: the date stamp and country of origin must be clear.

• For farmed fish, consider specifying the country of production and species of fish (sea/fresh water).

Crayfish and shellfish• Must be supplied frozen or fresh directly from

the supplier, clearly date stamped and stating the country of production.

• Must not have been defrosted. And crayfish such as prawns must not smell of ammonia even though they have been frozen. If so, they are bad and must be rejected/returned.

• When placing an order, it may be a good idea to specify the species and country of origin since the colour and size of prawns, for exam-ple, can vary depending on the species.

• Specify deliveries of crayfish and shellfish.• May be supplied fresh and live but they have

short shelf-lives and should be boiled immedi-ately and frozen.

• Live mussels MUST ALWAYS be fresh.• Note that suppliers must guarantee that

shellfish and crayfish are virus-free, with no risk of algae poisoning..

6. Higher risk products

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS CHAPTER? RISIKOVARER

Fruit and vegetables• Always have the freshest fruit and vegetables

available supplied.• Ensure that they are packed as well as possible

and kept separate during transport.• Ensure that products are transported accor-

ding to the regulations and at recommended temperatures.

• No overripe fruit and vegetables. • No bad, soft or mouldy fruit and vegetables.• Decide whether the shipowner wishes vege-

tables to have been cleaned/without soil.

• Fruit and vegetables must be firm, with clear colours.

• Make sure that transport times are always limited.

• Clarify liability issues if transport times are exceeded and this affects the quality of the food products.

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS - OTHER FOOD PRODUCTS

Fresh eggs• Fresh eggs should always be supplied properly

and hygienically packed with the shells date stamped. With no date stamp, it can be impos-sible to determine the shelf-life of products.

Spices• State the acceptable quantity/size of bags or tins. • Packaging must be complete and unbroken for

shelf-life reasons.• Stipulate the requirements for quality and

country of origin. • Country of origin and date stamping must

be clear.• Consider whether spices may have been ir-

radiated before use.

Grain, flour and oats• Stipulate your requirements for country of

origin and any cultivation method(s). • Stipulate that no undesirable pests or mould

are present, in dry goods, before products are delivered aboard.

• Stipulate that products are to be kept refrige-rated during transport to avoid any undesirable pests reproducing in flour, for example.

7. Requirements and considerations – other food products

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS CHAPTER? SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS

• You must state to the supplier whether there are special products for which you are insisting on a specific brand or a specific country of origin and will not accept alternatives. This could for example mean special brands and products such as cheese, coffee, ketchup, wholemeal flour, fish (farmed/capture me-thods), etc.

• The same applies if you do not wish to have deliveries of specific products in other than your preferred pack/consignment sizes. This may be general or for specific product groups (such as meat).

• Consider stipulating that a price on delivery of a product that differs from the price stated when the order was placed will be grounds for cancelling the order/rejecting the product.

• You may not wish to have some types of fatty acids or other additives and these should be specified (e.g. trans fatty acids, straw shortener, additives (MSG), etc.). (MSG is monosodium glutamate, also known as the Asian 3rd spice. It is a flavor enhancer, which is very typically

used in the Chinese and Japanese kitchen, which may cause allergy and other adverse implications).

• A supplier contract can reflect ethical and environmental considerations. For example, some production methods cause severe pollution or animal production standards may be unacceptable. Such considerations should always be set out in a supplier contract, and also how an incorrect delivery should be dealt with if despite everything, there has been a misunderstanding.

• Willingness to accept other comparable products if the product ordered cannot be supplied must always be agreed in line with current general practice and the contract that has been made.

• It is a good idea to stipulate in a supplier contract whether you wish to receive conven-tional or organic products.

8. Special precautions

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SUPPLIERS – SHIPOWNERS

Visit www.seahealth.dk

Good relations between shipowners and suppliers are more than a question of supply and demand. Financial issues are important, as trust and communication are. If expectations are met, ships’ crew can get the right deliveries and the supplier can save time on dealing with fewer complaints and more time on optimising qua lity instead.

This guidance is being drawn up in Project NEPTUNE with excellent advice from global suppliers to ships’ galleys. Project NEPTUNE has got financial support from The Danish Maritime Fund.

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DK-1256 Copenhagen Kwww.seahealth.dk