New Delhi, Oct 15 The Quality Council of India will deploy certified professionals to conduct rigorous, technology-driven and independent audits of food safety and hygiene in trains and stations across the Indian Railway network.
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to ensure the highest standards of food safety and hygiene practices are followed in Railways, a Railway Ministry press statement said on Thursday.
“Under this strategic alliance, QCI will deploy certified professionals to conduct intense, unannounced quarterly and half-yearly inspection cycles,” the Ministry stated.
“These audits will enforce strict compliance with statutory Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations and international culinary standards,” it added.
Officials said that the Ministry has been receiving several complaints from passengers about poor and unhygienic food practices, following which it decided to deploy a third-party audit firm.
“To eliminate data tampering and guarantee absolute transparency, the audit process will leverage QCI’s pioneer digital infrastructure,” the Ministry said.
It stated that inspectors will use a mobile application featuring mandatory geo-tagging, time-stamping, and photographic evidence so that audit reports will be submitted within a strict 24-hour turnaround window, enabling real-time detection of operational gaps and triggering immediate corrective and preventive action tracking against defaulting vendors.
Highlighting key public benefits and impact areas, it said, “Rigorous independent screening across trains ensures passengers are protected from subpar onboard meal preparation.”
“Complete standardisation guarantees immaculate cooking environments across all major station-based static units,” it added, outlining several other benefits.
According to the Ministry, digital evidence-backed reports submitted within 24 hours ensure rapid penalty or corrective loops for catering licensees.
(PTI News)
