Food Safety Division of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department undertook a special inspection of many railway stations in the State, including Mangaluru, on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Thursday, a team led by district designated officer C.H. Praveen Kumar and another official Girish inspected Casino Air Caterers and Flight Services on Airport Road that supplies food to Vande Bharat Express trains operating out of Mangaluru Central.

He said the caterer was directed not to keep vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items in the same freezer.

The team found the master kitchen unhygienic and directed the operators to strictly maintain cleanliness. On Wednesday, it inspected the vehicle transporting food items from the master kitchen to the railway station. On Thursday, the inspection focused on food suppliers to the Vande Bharat Express services.

Simultaneous inspections

The simultaneous inspections at 36 railway stations across the State on Wednesday were carried out under the guidance of Minister for Health and Family Welfare U.T. Khader, stated an official release.

The food safety officials conducted the inspection in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Rules, 2011, to check the quality, safety, storage, labelling and food-handling measures of food in hotels/ eateries in the stations, pantry cars, food stalls, food manufacturing units etc., located on the premises of railway stations.

During the inspection, the team found various shortcomings related to food safety and quality, including storage of samosas in cardboard boxes, vadas found placed on newspapers, chutney kept in plastic buckets and other food items found packed in newspapers. The registration certificates of the business were not displayed prominently.

The department said it would notify the Railways about the violations recommending initiation of appropriate action against the concerned.

Published - August 20, 2026 07:51 pm IST