The panel rejects the idea that a minimally crewed ship can simply automate its galley. A cook notices spoiled or altered ingredients through taste, smell, and touch while making sure every watch receives food at the right time. Reproducing those judgments mechanically can cost more than automating some medical functions, and the galley would also become an attractive sabotage point. Most importantly, fresh food anchors morale and health during deployments that are likely to last months rather than the two weeks imagined in the original question.
Notable Point · 1:50:13-1:53:30
Why naval cooks resist automation
Cooking combines safety, nutrition, sensory judgment, timing, and morale in ways that make a human cook unusually difficult to replace.