Kochi: Southern Railway has cancelled its catering contract with Brindavan Food Products for Vande Bharat Express trains in Kerala following widespread and repeated passenger complaints about substandard and unhygienic food. The final decision came after the Chennai High Court lifted a stay order that the catering company had previously secured against termination.
The move follows a series of alarming incidents, particularly on the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru route, which registered the highest number of complaints. Passengers reported finding worms in dal curry and being served expired juice boxes, sparking outrage and raising serious food safety concerns. One passenger on the Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express on October 2 discovered several worms in the dal curry served with lunch. She alleged that other passengers also found their meals contaminated.
Adding to the passenger complaints, surprise inspections by authorities revealed significant lapses. A raid conducted as part of “Operation Pothichoru” found that Brindavan’s base kitchen in Kadavanthra, Kochi, was operating in unsanitary conditions and violating multiple standards. Corporation officials also shut down the unit for functioning without a license and seized stale and expired food items, including rotten eggs and spoiled dal.
Despite being fined heavily for these violations, the company continued to provide poor-quality food.
With the contract now cancelled, the railway has made temporary arrangements with other companies to provide catering services on the six Vande Bharat trains previously serviced by Brindavan in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
