I've ferried a few flights, and empty sectored quite a few.
1. Passengers are generally the most damaging cargo from personal experience, even on business jets. or especially? Removing the source of the risks generally reduces the risks.
The aircraft are generally consistently built.
The crews are generally consistently trained.
2. Pilots, like everyone else, are capable of some common sense and reason (notwithstanding some of the little spats that go on on here) I've managed quite well, preparing my own food over the years, and have been quite unsuccesful in gaining a promotion by preparing the other blokes food. There's always the fire axe.
3. I sometimes wonder if many of the regulations are there to safeguard other people, or to simply make it easier to point the finger or prosecute someone in the event of an incident. My own paranoia, big brother, etc.
4. I have been involved in a double pilot food poisoning. It makes bugger all difference if the food is selected off different menus, or is simply different, if the source of the problem is the food prep company. Which it was. And often is. Eating at different times is probably valid, but by how long?
Actually, come to think of it, I have had serious food poisoning 4 times over the years, only once while flying. Each time it came down to food prepared professionally; either a restaurant, or food prep company. All of which should have been impossible according to whatever regulatory authority.
I like the idea of having a certain amount of SOP to operate to. But it will become a very strange place if everything was written into rigid SOPs.
And you can't fix everything with an SOP. Some free thinking is essential to survival.