10 railway stations in Pune division certified as ‘Eat Right Stations’
All these stations have met the rigorous requirements outlined by FSSAI, ensuring that all food business operators have been trained and audited to comply with the highest food safety standards
In a significant step towards promoting food safety and quality at public places, ten railway stations in the Pune division have been certified as “Eat Right Stations” by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
All these stations have met the rigorous requirements outlined by FSSAI, ensuring that all food business operators have been trained and audited to comply with the highest food safety standards, officials said.
The certified railway stations include—Pune railway station, Kolhapur station, Miraj station, Sangli station, Satara station, Daund station, Ahilyanagar station, Kopargaon station, Sainagar-Shirdi station and Shivajinagar railway station.
The ‘Eat Right Station’ certification is part of the Eat Right India movement led by FSSAI, New Delhi. The initiative aims to ensure food safety and hygiene across food outlets at railway stations. It includes organized catering units like restaurants and food courts, as well as small vendors, kiosks, and retail shops. Under this program, food vendors are trained to adhere to safe and hygienic cooking and handling practices, thus assuring passengers and staff of safe and hygienic food options.
Suresh Annapure, joint commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration (Food) Pune division, said, “To qualify for the certification, all food handlers and vendors operating at the designated stations are required to undergo training under FSSAI’s Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) programme. Subsequently, a third-party audit is conducted based on a checklist of food safety criteria, which is mandatory for receiving the ‘Eat Right Station’ certification.”
As per officials, the initiative was undertaken under the leadership of the FDA commissioner of Maharashtra, Rajesh Narvekar.