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

Karnataka's Food Safety and Drugs Administration (KFSDA) conducted a state-wide inspection of railway facilities, discovering significant hygiene breaches, expired food products, and unauthorized food dyes. However, the Vande Bharat express trains demonstrated impeccable cleanliness.

Inspecting 36 stations and 112 food outlets, including canteens, platform stalls, and train pantries, the KFSDA discovered expired Nandini curd and Dodli milk packets at Haveri railway station. Idlis were allegedly prepared using plastic at Mysuru station, while samosas were stored in cardboard boxes and chutney in non-food-grade plastic buckets.

Fungal growth was spotted on onions and other vegetables, and unhygienic conditions were observed at K R Puram station's hotel. Some establishments sold expired food items, and some savoury packets were missing mandatory labeling details.

The KFSDA also found synthetic colors not permitted for usage, like yellow in jalebi and pink in khoa peda. They noted that food business registration certificates were not prominently displayed in many establishments. The inspectors will relay their findings to railway authorities and designated officers for potential legal actions against non-compliant operators.

This follows recent KFSDA raids across the state, resulting in substantial seizures of non-compliant food, including 429 kg of mutton and chicken, 203 kg of fish, and 76 kg of rotten or mouldy vegetables.