Dr B Thomas (Special correspondent)
KSR Bengaluru Railway Station has been awarded a 5- star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing high-quality,nutritious food to passengers.
KSR Bengaluru Railway Station becomes the first station in Bangalore Division of South Western Railway to get this recognition based on a third party audit.
The railway station have 40 food establishments like:One food Plaza,Three Jan Ahar,16 catering stalls,nine Milk stalls,four fast food units,and Seven Multipurpose stalls.
An FSSAI empanelled third party audit team checked all the stalls and base kitchens as per FSSAI norms and checklist issued by FSSAI at the railway station for two days of March and one day of June of this year.
The parameters chosen include food quality, hygiene and the entire chain including the waste disposal,”said Chief Medical Superintendent,Dr. Shobha Jaganath.
This certification is granted by FSSAI to railway stations adhering to standard food storage and hygiene practices.
The ‘Eat Right Station’ certification is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that set benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers.
The station is awarded a certificate upon a conclusion of an FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5.
The 5-star rating indicates exemplary efforts by stations to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.
The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe,healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.
Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory,capacity building,collaborative,and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.
Divisional Railway Manager Shyam Singh said that the 5-Star rating was an indication of the efforts made by the railway authorities in ensuring the availability of safe and hygienic food to passengers.
All the catering stalls at KSR Bengaluru railway station are provided with food license certificates.
The vendors also have medical fitness certificates and adhere strictly to the norms.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Dr. A.N.Krishna Reddy said,The coveted certificate makes us more responsible to ensure this standard of hygiene and food quality in future at the station.
Efforts are also being made to improve the food quality at other stations of Bangalore division, and get them included in the ‘Eat Right Station’ category.”
As part of ‘Eat Right Station’ certification a FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) training was conducted for 35 food handlers at the station.
Persons successfully trained and certified under FoSTaC will be termed as Certified Food Safety Supervisor (FSS).
