The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that it has suspended the food licences of a major hospitality and catering company that supplies meals to Indian Railways, effectively shutting down 20 of its eateries across the state. The action follows an inspection that uncovered multiple breaches of prescribed safety and hygiene standards, prompting the regulator to act swiftly to protect public health.
According to the FDA’s statement, the violations included inadequate temperature control of cooked food, lapses in pest control, and failure to maintain proper sanitation records. The regulator said these infractions posed a direct risk of foodborne illness to the thousands of passengers who rely on railway catering services daily. The suspended licences cover both stationary canteens at railway stations and mobile food units operating on train routes.
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In addition to the suspensions, the FDA issued formal improvement notices to four other eateries linked to the same supplier, giving them a 15‑day window to rectify the identified shortcomings. The notices require the outlets to upgrade refrigeration equipment, implement stricter cleaning protocols, and submit detailed compliance reports to the authority.
The railway catering firm, which declined to comment on the specifics, has been a long‑standing vendor for the Indian Railways, serving meals on long‑distance and suburban routes. The suspension is expected to disrupt catering operations on several key routes, prompting the railways to source alternative vendors on short notice. Industry analysts note that the incident underscores the challenges of maintaining uniform food safety standards across a fragmented supply chain that serves millions of passengers each year.
The Maharashtra FDA has warned that any further non‑compliance will attract harsher penalties, including permanent revocation of licences and possible legal action. The regulator also urged other food service providers in the state to conduct internal audits and adhere strictly to the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act to avoid similar enforcement actions.
