The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has suspended operations at a railway base kitchen in Lucknow after inspections uncovered food safety and hygiene violations at catering facilities across the state. The enforcement drive covered 41 railway catering units and two establishments supplying food to airlines.
The inspections revealed deficiencies in cleanliness, food storage, pest control, drinking water testing and employee health documentation. Officials also found incomplete stock registers and missing food-grade certificates for packaging materials.
The FSDA identified shortcomings at 30 railway catering units and issued notices directing the establishments to rectify the violations and comply with food safety requirements.
978 kg of unlabelled food seized
In Kanpur Nagar, officials seized 978 kg of a food item stored without labels or details of its manufacturing and use-by dates. The seizure highlights concerns over traceability and the availability of essential information needed to assess food safety.
Officials also collected 26 food samples and sent them to a laboratory for testing. The results will help determine whether the products meet prescribed food safety standards.
The inspection teams covered railway catering kitchens and food storage facilities in Lucknow, Saharanpur, Kanpur Nagar, Agra, Chandauli, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Varanasi, Bareilly and Jhansi.
Separately, the FSDA cancelled the food registration of an establishment in Saharanpur following the inspection drive.
Airline caterers also under scrutiny
The enforcement action extended to two food suppliers serving airlines at Lucknow and Varanasi airports. Inspectors found employees not wearing shoe covers and masks, along with gaps in mandatory records, certificates and labelling compliance.
The concerned establishments were issued improvement notices and directed to address the deficiencies.
The drive underscores the importance of stricter food safety oversight in institutional catering, where meals are prepared and stored in large quantities for railway passengers and airline customers. Compliance with hygiene, documentation, labelling and storage requirements is essential to protect consumers and ensure that food can be traced and assessed when safety concerns arise.