New Delhi: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has been served a notice by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over the washing of utensils inside a train toilet.
This came after a video of the incident, showing a catering staff washing utensils inside a train toilet on the Mumbai (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus)-Ernakulam Duronto Express went viral.
In the video, the catering staff gives his name as Suresh and claims that he works for R K, a private catering company engaged by IRCTC for several trains and stations across the country.
“It has come to the notice of this office through a video circulating on social media that utensils used for catering services in Train No. 12223 – LTT ERS Duronto are allegedly being washed inside toilet premises of the train by catering staff/contractual personnel engaged for onboard catering services,” the FSSAI has said in its letter.
If the allegations are found to be true, it reflects extremely unhygienic food handling practices and is in contravention of the hygiene and sanitary requirements prescribed under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, the letter states, as reported by The Indian Express.
“The practice of washing utensils in toilet areas poses serious risks of contamination and is highly objectionable from the food safety perspective. Such incidents adversely affect public health and consumer confidence in railway catering services,” the FSSAI said.
IRCTC has been directed by FSSAI to submit a factual explanation regarding the incident shown in the viral video. It has also sought details on whether catering services on the train were being operated by a contractor or licensee, along with complete information, including a valid FSSAI licence number if the contractor was engaged in food business activities. The IRCTC has also been asked to report the immediate corrective measures taken in response to the incident.
Meanwhile, IRCTC has shared a post on X saying that prompt action was taken and penalty was imposed on the service provider and concerned staff were taken off duty.
