Food on Railways unfit for human consumption: CAG

In its report, “Catering Services in Indian Railways” which was tabled in Parliament the CAG said several deficiencies in respect of quality of food served were noticed during the audit.

The food served on the Indian Railways came under criticism from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). It noted that the food served in Railways was unsuitable for human consumption.

In its report, "Catering Services in Indian Railways" which was tabled in Parliament the CAG said several deficiencies in respect of quality of food served were noticed during the audit.

"Food articles unsuitable for human consumption, contaminated foodstuff, recycled foodstuff, packaged and shelf life expired packaged and bottled items, unauthorised brands of water bottles were offered for sale at stations," said the report.

"During a joint inspection of selected 74 stations and 80 trains over zonal railways, audit noticed that cleanliness and hygiene were not being maintained at catering units at stations and in trains. Unpurified water straight from the tap was used in the preparation of beverages, waste bins were found not covered, foodstuff was not covered to protect them from flies, insects and dust, rats and cockroaches were found in train," said the report.

"Due to frequent policy changes, Indian Railways could not take effective steps to bridge the gap to provide necessary infrastructure in terms of base kitchens, static catering units, trains side vending arrangements and automatic vending machines etc", the CAG also said.

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