In an important step towards promoting food safety and quality in public places, ten railway stations in Pune division have been certified as ‘Eat Right Stations’ by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

All these stations meet the stringent requirements set by the 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 railway station, Miraj railway station, Sangli railway station, Satara railway station, Daund railway station, Ahilyanagar railway station, Kopargaon railway station, Sainagar railway station- Shirdi 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 at station food outlets. It includes organized dining units like restaurants and food courts, as well as small vendors, kiosks and retail stores. Under this program, food vendors are trained to adhere to safe and hygienic cooking and handling practices, ensuring passengers and staff have safe and hygienic food options.

Suresh Annapure, Joint Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration (Food) Pune Division, said, “To be eligible for certification, all food handlers and sellers operating at the designated stations must undergo training under FSSAI Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC). program. Next, a third-party audit is carried out based on a checklist of food safety criteria, which is mandatory to obtain “Eat Right Station” certification.

According to officials, the initiative was undertaken under the leadership of Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar.