Case story

How Nutrition Data Turned Into Action Improves Crew Health and Retention

When declining crew health and retention was linked to on-board diet, a global shipping company required insight to protect operational stability. By transforming vessel stock data into nutritional intelligence, Garrets enabled targeted performance optimisation with clear operational impact.

A global shipping customer observed deteriorating crew health and falling retention rates in its fleet. Crew feedback pointed to on-board diet as a contributing factor, yet there was no structured visibility into the nutritional quality of meals being served. Without measurable data, corrective action remained reactive.

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Actionable Nutrition Insight

‍By applying advanced AI analytics to vessel-level monthly consumption data, Garrets translated procurement and stock reports into nutritional and calorific performance indicators, benchmarked against recommended dietary standards.

Each month, the customer now receives:

  • A vessel-level health score
  • Traffic light indicators across key nutritional categories
  • A consolidated dashboard highlighting priority vessels

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Where gaps were identified, Garrets’ Culinary Development team engaged directly with Chief Cooks on board supporting recipe optimisation, menu planning and targeted online training.

Measurable Operational Gains

‍Crew retention is a defined operational KPI for the customer and early results indicate measurable improvement. The customer estimates the decline in retention can be reduced by up to 50%.

Beyond retention, the solution created:

  • Full visibility into nutritional performance across the fleet
  • Data-backed dialogue between HR, operations and on-board teams
  • A scalable monitoring and performance framework

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CASE OVERVIEW

Key Challenges

  • Limited visibility into nutritional value of on-board meals
  • No benchmarking against dietary recommendations
  • Crew retention under pressure due to wellbeing concerns
  • No structured optimisation strategy

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Key Solution Elements

  • AI analysis of monthly vessel stock reports and consumption patterns
  • Calorific and nutritional benchmarking across key categories
  • Monthly vessel-level health scorecards with traffic light indicators
  • Consolidated dashboard identifying priority vessels
  • Direct engagement with Chief Cooks
  • Menu and recipe optimisation including targeted training

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Achieved & Expected Benefits

  • Fleet-wide nutritional transparency and data-driven decision-making
  • Early identification of at-risk vessels
  • Improved on-board nutrition standards and crew wellbeing
  • Estimated 50% reduction in retention decline
  • Stronger operational continuity and efficiency

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Download PDF version of the case study here.