MSC Cruises has a plan for fresher and better food

MSC Cruises has a business relationship with MSC, the world leader in shipping. Transporting goods and people are of course two very different things, but the cruise line has found an interesting way to capitalize on the experience of the shipping brand.

The cruise line, which consists of MSC Cruises and Explora Journey, has partnered with its sister company to use smart containers to ensure the freshest produce is loaded onto the lines’ cruise ships.

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“Each smart container has an internet connection that transmits data such as position, temperature and humidity, which is remotely monitored around the clock from a centralized customer service center in Antwerp, Belgium,” MSC Cruises said in a statement. press release.

The system allows the cruise line to receive an early warning when something goes wrong.

“A problem during the transport of goods by road or sea triggers an alert to the supplier, which allows them to solve the problem during transit to ensure that food products that depend on the exact environmental conditions for freshness can be delivered without the need to be shipped expensive, delayed. replacements,” the company added. “Smart containers are particularly beneficial for refrigerated and frozen goods such as meat, seafood and dairy products.”

MSC Cruises has struggled to create food and menus that appeal to American customers as the company has expanded into the United States.

“The use of smart containers has had a significant positive impact on food supply, especially in markets where it is challenging to source and purchase all products locally,” said MSC Procurement Director Paolo Raia. “Another major advantage with smart containers is that in real time we can constantly monitor the humidity and temperature of the transported goods and change the parameters in transit if necessary to confidently deliver the freshest and best food for our guests. ”

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MSC serves food on a large scale

MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys source approximately 96% of their food locally. Cruise lines also use a number of warehouses around the world.

MSC’s shipping arm started using smart containers from its northern Italian warehouse in Genoa last year. The change resulted in an improved level of quality assurance compared to the previous year, when the shipping company used traditional means of transporting food by road and sea.

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Each year, MSC Cruises’ 22-ship fleet is stocked with 5,500 different foods and beverages, including 32 million eggs, 1.5 million gallons of milk, 170,000 oysters, 2 million tomatoes, 2 million pounds of apples and 1.7 million pounds of lemons.

On average, each of MSC Cruises’ 22 ships carries 50,000 pounds of fresh fruit, 44,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and 12,000 pounds of fish during a 7-night voyage.

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