CHENNAI: A video showing a vendor washing aluminium foil food containers on Train 16601 Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express has gone viral on social media, prompting widespread concern among users about the possible reuse of disposable plates and the hygiene standards of food served on trains.
The footage, which circulated on various platforms, drew criticism from users who alleged that the containers were being cleaned for reuse.
On X (formerly Twitter), the Kerala Congress Sevadal shared the video and tagged Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, asking, “Is this your facility? Dirty disposable containers are being washed and served as food to passengers in the train?”
Express Food Services, which manages catering on IRCTC, issued a clarification. In a letter to the IRCTC Chennai, the agency stated that an internal enquiry found that one of the vendors had collected and cleaned unsold food packets for selling them as scrap for minor monetary gain.
“This act was carried out without the knowledge of the company. It was an isolated incident, and no used or unsold food was ever served to passengers. All meals are freshly prepared,” the stated.
IRCTC later shared the clarification, stating that the plates in question were used and composted, not reused. It added that upon learning of the issue, the vendor was immediately removed, with proceedings initiated to cancel the contractor’s licence and a heavy fine imposed.