How Nutritious Are the Vegetables Served on Ships?

Spoiler alert: They aren’t as nutritious as you might think.

Consumption of leafy greens is growing rapidly due to their flavor, nutritional value, and health benefits. Lettuce, one of the most commonly used greens in galleys, is a rich source of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenols, antioxidants, vitamins (C, A, and folate), and minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium.

Unfortunately, much of this nutritional value is lost before the greens ever reach the plate, especially at sea.

Once harvested, leafy greens begin to deteriorate quickly. The post-harvest supply chain includes multiple stages: processing, transportation, storage, and time on the retail shelf. By the time these greens are loaded onto a vessel, they may already be a week old. Add a few days in the ship’s refrigerator, and most of the original nutrients are gone.

The main factors responsible for this loss are physical handling, temperature fluctuations, disinfecting, and poor humidity control. Studies have shown a significant decrease in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), chlorophyll, and carotenoids throughout the chain.

• About 25% of vitamin C in lettuce is lost during initial storage

• 48% is gone after just two days on the retail shelf

• A day later, that loss increases to over 80%

• Chlorophyll drops by 38.2% during storage and by 67.3% at retail

• Carotenoids fall by 22.9% and 47.8% respectively

Mineral content also suffers:

• Potassium: down 24%

• Phosphorus: down 22%

• Calcium: down 25%

• Magnesium: down 14%

• Iron, zinc, manganese, copper, and boron, all see reductions of up to 79%

So what can vessel operators do?

If you want to provide crews with nutrient-rich vegetables, relying solely on supply chain logistics is no longer enough. The solution is to grow them onboard.

Agwa has developed an AI-powered growing system specifically for maritime use. It delivers ultra-fresh, chemical-free greens on ships of all types. Our fully autonomous device requires no growing expertise and takes up minimal space. Just insert pods, and the system does the rest.

Agwa’s built-in Virtual Agronomist tracks and optimizes every plant individually, adjusting light, irrigation, and growth conditions. The result is maximum nutrition and freshness, harvested directly onboard.

By eliminating transport time and storage loss, Agwa gives crews access to better food, better health, and better performance at sea, every day.

To learn more, visit agwafarm.com