Food safety violations reported in Karnataka railway canteens; Vande Bharat pantry clean

They claimed that fungal growth was observed on onions and other vegetables, and unhygienic conditions were documented at a hotel on the K R Puram railway station premises. Expired food articles were also kept for sale in some establishments, said officials. They noted suspected non-permitted synthetic colours, including yellow colouring used in jalebi and pink in khoa peda.

The food inspectors also found that savoury food packets lacked mandatory labelling details, and food business registration certificates were not prominently displayed.

Vande Bharat passes test

However, inspections aboard two Vande Bharat trains operating on the Mangaluru–Kerala and Hubballi–Bengaluru routes found the pantry facilities to be clean and hygienic.

When approached for comment, a South Western Railway official said that information regarding the inspection was still being collected. KFSDA stated that findings will be shared with railway authorities and designated officers to initiate legal action against non-compliant operators.

The railway station drive follows recent KFSDA raids across the state that resulted in massive seizures of non-compliant food. Previous seizures included 429 kg of mutton and chicken, 203 kg of fish, 200 kg of vegetarian food stored with non-vegetarian items, 76 kg of rotten or mouldy vegetables, 45 litres of expired milk and curd, 12 kg of expired bakery products, 67 kg of mislabelled or expired cereals, and 49 litres of used or non-compliant cooking oil.