Food served by Indian Railways' catering services unfit for consumption: CAG report

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has released a report on the condition of catering services in the Indian Railways, saying that neither the food nor the water is fit for human consumption.

In a report published by The Asian Age, the CAG in its report on railway catering till March 2016, the CAG pointed out that besides the lack of hygiene, catering staff weren’t issuing bills for the food items.

The report added that food items that were unfit for consumption such as contaminated foodstuff, recycled foodstuff, shelf-life expired packaged and bottled items were being offered for sale at maximum retail price with weight and prices different from the open market and at significantly higher prices.

The CAG report blames the frequent change in catering policy and consequent transfer of responsibility to manage catering units for the mess.

Indian Railways has changed its catering policy three times since 2005 with the last policy change announced in February 2017.

Due to the frequent policy changes, the railways could not take effective steps for provision of necessary infrastructure in terms of base kitchens, static catering units, etc., the national auditor said.