The base kitchen at Kadavanthra, engaged in serving food on trains, including Vande Bharat, and from where large quantities of stale food were seized in May, was slapped with a fine of ₹1 lakh.

It has since been closed following an inspection by a committee of three officers from the Railways and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw told Parliament. His response was to a question raised by Hibi Eden, MP.

Asked whether the government proposed to empanel community-run initiatives such as Kudumbashree’s Samrudhi network of the Kochi Corporation to supply food on trains, Mr. Vaishnaw said that pilot testing with Kudumbashree Samrudhi had been done.

He further said that IRCTC regularly floats tenders to select licensees for providing onboard catering services on trains, as mandated under the extant policy. These licences are awarded through a transparent process as per the terms and conditions stipulated in the tender documents. Performance review of catering contractors is an ongoing process, which is done by IRCTC from time to time. Corrective action is taken in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

The Minister said that a slew of measures had been taken to improve quality, hygiene, and food safety. They include supply of meals from designated base kitchens, commissioning of modern base kitchens at identified locations, installation of CCTV Cameras in base kitchens for better monitoring of food preparation, shortlisting and use of popular and branded raw materials, like cooking oil, atta, rice, pulses, masala items, paneer, and dairy products for food preparation.

Food safety supervisors have been deployed at base kitchens to monitor hygienic practices, so as IRCTC supervisors on board trains. QR Codes have been introduced on food packets, enabling the display of details like the name of the kitchen and the date of packaging. Regular deep cleaning and periodic pest control in base kitchens and pantry cars are also ensured.

In order to ensure compliance with food safety norms, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certification from designated food safety officers of each catering unit has been made mandatory. Regular food sampling is held as a part of the inspection and monitoring mechanism to ensure the availability of quality of food on trains. Third party audit is done to examine hygiene and quality of food in pantry cars and base kitchens. Customer satisfaction survey is also conducted. Regular and surprise inspections by Railway/ IRCTC officials, including Food Safety officials is also held.