New Delhi, March 19: Indian Railways is taking significant steps to curb unauthorized vending services by introducing measures such as QR code-enabled ID cards and digitally tracked food packets. This information was shared by the government in Parliament on Thursday.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in response to a question in the Lok Sabha that it is now mandatory to issue QR code ID cards for each vendor, assistant, or staff member deployed for catering services on trains. This initiative aims to establish the identity of authorized sellers.
To enhance quality, hygiene, and food safety, several measures have been implemented. These include supplying food from base kitchens, establishing modern base kitchens at designated locations, installing CCTV cameras in base kitchens for better monitoring of food preparation, and selecting popular and branded raw materials like cooking oil, flour, rice, lentils, spices, paneer, and dairy products. Additionally, food safety supervisors are deployed in base kitchens to monitor food safety and hygiene practices.
To ensure compliance with food safety standards, certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is now mandatory for designated food safety officers at each catering unit.
Furthermore, regular inspections and monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure food quality on trains through testing of food samples. The minister also mentioned that third-party audits are conducted to check cleanliness and food quality in pantry cars and base kitchens, along with customer satisfaction surveys.
Focusing on customer service, regular training sessions are conducted by IRCTC to enhance the skills of catering staff.
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