New Delhi: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has partnered with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to introduce independent, technology-driven audits of food safety and hygiene across its catering operations on trains and at railway stations.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), QCI will deploy certified professionals to conduct unannounced quarterly and half-yearly inspections of mobile catering units on trains and static catering units at railway stations. The initiative aims to improve compliance with statutory Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations and prescribed food safety and hygiene standards.
The collaboration will introduce digital monitoring mechanisms to improve transparency, strengthen vendor accountability and enable faster corrective action wherever violations are identified.
IRCTC-QCI Partnership to Strengthen Food Safety Standards
The independent audit framework will cover various aspects of food preparation, handling, storage and service across railway catering operations.
Inspectors will assess compliance with food safety and hygiene requirements, including:
- Food preparation and storage: Checking food handling practices and storage conditions.
- Staff medical fitness: Verifying the medical fitness of catering personnel.
- Personal hygiene and protective equipment: Assessing hygiene practices and the use of appropriate protective equipment by staff.
- Vegetarian and non-vegetarian food segregation: Ensuring raw vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items are kept separate.
- Temperature-controlled storage: Checking temperature management for prepared meals and other food items.
- Sanitation and pest control: Assessing cleanliness and the effectiveness of pest-control measures.
- Hospitality practices: Evaluating service practices followed by catering personnel.
The inspections will cover both mobile catering units operating on trains and static catering units located at railway stations.
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Digital Audits to Use Geo-Tagging and Photographic Evidence
A key feature of the initiative is the use of QCI’s digital infrastructure to make inspections more transparent, reliable and accountable.
Inspectors will record their findings through a dedicated mobile application equipped with geo-tagging, time-stamping and photographic evidence. These features are intended to establish when and where inspections take place and minimise the risk of data tampering.
The digital system will also support the documentation of violations and help IRCTC monitor compliance across its catering network.
Audit Reports Within 24 Hours to Enable Faster Corrective Action
Under the new framework, audit reports will be submitted within 24 hours of inspections. This will allow IRCTC to identify shortcomings quickly and initiate corrective and preventive action (CAPA) tracking against vendors found violating prescribed standards.
The mechanism is expected to improve monitoring, strengthen accountability among catering vendors and facilitate timely resolution of food safety and hygiene issues.By combining independent assessments with digital reporting, IRCTC aims to improve the consistency of food safety checks and enhance the quality of catering services available to railway passengers.
Partnership May Expand to Passenger Surveys and Staff Training
Beyond food safety inspections, the MoU provides a framework for potential future collaboration in other areas of railway catering services.
These initiatives may include passenger satisfaction surveys, infrastructure audits and specialised training programmes for catering staff. The proposed activities could help IRCTC assess passenger experiences, identify infrastructure-related gaps and improve the capabilities of personnel involved in food preparation and service.
Senior Officials Attend IRCTC-QCI MoU Signing
The MoU was signed by Sudhir Warrier, General Manager, Quality and Projects, IRCTC, and Subroto Ghosh, Principal Advisor and Head of PPID, QCI.
The signing ceremony was attended by:
- Ramanand Nagender Shukla, Chief Executive Officer of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)
- Mohit Padhi, Assistant Secretary General of QCI
- Rahul Himalian, Chairman and Managing Director of IRCTC
- Manoj Kumar Sharma, Director, Catering Services, IRCTC
QCI’s experience in large-scale public monitoring programmes was cited as an important consideration in the partnership. Its work includes initiatives such as Swachh Survekshan and nationwide milk and food surveillance programmes for FSSAI.
About Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited is a Navratna public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways. It serves as the catering and tourism arm of Indian Railways and provides catering services, online railway ticketing, tourism packages and packaged drinking water through its Rail Neer brand.
About Quality Council of India (QCI)
The Quality Council of India was established in 1996 as an autonomous national quality body operating under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It works to promote quality standards, third-party assessments, accreditation and governance audits across various sectors.
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