From Scurvy to Norovirus: A Historical Review of Food-borne Illnesses on Board Ships

Abstract

Life on board has historically been determined by the availability, preservation and quality of food and drinking water. This narrative review traces, in chronological order, the main deficiency diseases and cases of food poisoning/foodborne infections that have affected seafarers from the Age of Discovery to the present day: scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), beriberi (thiamine deficiency), pellagra (niacin deficiency), rickets and osteomalacia (vitamin D deficiency), and infectious and toxic outbreaks associated with the consumption of spoiled food or contaminated water (typhoid fever, norovirus, ciguatera). The course also covers the regulatory framework for food safety on board (HACCP, MLC 2006 Convention) and concludes with an examination of the contemporary nutritional status of seafarers, which is paradoxically characterised by overweight, metabolic syndrome and persistent vitamin deficiencies, particularly vitamin D deficiency.