Packaged Food Served Hot on Vande Bharat Train: A woman traveling on the Allahabad-Delhi Vande Bharat Express confronted a staff member on Wednesday (February
18) after noticing that the packaged food served to passengers was being pre-heated in a microwave. The woman also claimed that on a separate trip on the Rajdhani train on Tuesday (February 19), she was given hot meals packed in plastic covers. She recorded the encounter on camera, where the staff member admitted that the packaged food was heated in a microwave and explained that the meals were provided by IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation). Reacting to the incident, IRCTC’s official account apologised and asked for the train details, promising an investigation. The incident raised concerns over authorities’ negligence regarding public safety. Also Read: ‘CM's Order, PCR Call, Endless Follow-Ups’: How a Delhi Activist Got an Open Manhole Fixed In a post on X, lawyer Avani Bansal alleged that she was served hot kachori packed in a plastic cover. She ate the meal because she was hungry but later realized the potential risk. The next day, when she was offered pre-cooked food in plastic packaging again, she raised the issue with the staff member.
"Lakhs of passengers can verify this - the rotis are served warm with the plastic pack heated. The person in the train confirmed that rotis were being heated directly in the packet," said Avani in her post.
She added, "Food-grade plastic is not automatically heat-safe unless certified for microwave/steam use. Heating multilayer packaging without clear instructions can potentially increase chemical migration into food - especially when done repeatedly at scale."
The passenger raised several questions:
- Are these institutional packs certified for in-pack heating?
- If so, can that certification be publicly shared?
- Is this happening on all trains?
- Who has authorized this?
Avani Bansal also sought corrective measures, warning that officials might brush off the incident by shifting blame.
"The last thing we want is blame game buck to be passed between @IRCTCofficial @fssaiindia. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution will say that it is Railways’ mistake. Railway minister will say it is the third-party vendor who has been given the tender - it’s their mistake. Third party vendor will find someone at the lowest in the ladder like the gentleman in this video who admitted that they were heated in microwave, to fix the blame on - while fixing NO Accountability of the damage already done and NO Responsibility for what’s to come."
IRCTC Response
"Apologising for the inconvenience," IRCTC asked Avani to share her contact details to investigate the matter. "Ma'am, our sincere apology for the inconvenience. Please DM your PNR and mobile number to enable us to address this."
However, Avani stressed that this is not an "individual problem". "@IRCTCofficial Appreciate the quick response very much! But this is not my ‘individual’ problem. Kindly publicly clarify the questions raised - are sealed packets being served hot? In which all trains? Since when? Whose responsible?"
