The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a formal notice to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) following a viral video that allegedly shows onboard catering staff washing utensils inside the toilet of Train No. 12223, the Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus – Ernakulam Duronto Express.
The video, which surfaced on social media and sparked widespread outrage, was reportedly recorded in the First AC Coach H1 of the premium Mumbai-Ernakulam Duronto service. It shows catering/contractual personnel handling and allegedly washing plates, bowls, and cutlery in the toilet during onboard service. In the video, porcelain plates and bowls in a plastic crate can be seen kept on the toilet seat.
FSSAI issues notice to IRCTC | This is in contravention of the hygiene and sanitary requirements prescribed under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, which mandate food business operators to maintain…
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2026
A passenger travelling in the First AC coach confronted the staff after noticing the unhygienic activity and recorded a video of the same. In the video clip, the passenger questions an attendant about washing utensils inside the toilet and using them for serving food. However, the staff said that he had just arrived there, and he hadn’t seen the catering staff with the utensils in the toilet.
The catering employee, who works for a contractor under IRCTC, could not answer what he was doing there, and only said that his name is Suresh. From the video, it appeared that the catering personnel washed the dishes inside the toilet and then kept in the crate placed over the commode, before he was spotted by the passenger.
The video was widely shared on platforms like X, leading to public outcry over hygiene standards in a high-fare premium train service. The passenger raised a formal complaint (Reference No. 2026052408416) with IRCTC, Rail Madad and the Ministry of Railways.
A complaint was raised regarding alleged hygiene concerns onboard Train 12223 Duronto Express (First AC Coach H1) after visuals reportedly showed food plates and cutlery placed near/on a toilet seat area during onboard lunch service, raising serious passenger concerns around… pic.twitter.com/1OgUCuyjlX
— Truth On Track (@truth_on_track) May 27, 2026
According to the FSSAI notice, the practice contravenes Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. These rules mandate that food business operators maintain hygienic processing, handling, washing, and cleaning practices to prevent contamination of food and food-contact surfaces.
FSSAI stated that the matter came to its notice through the social media video and has directed IRCTC to submit factual comments and a detailed explanation regarding the incident involving onboard catering personnel.
IRCTC has not made any public comment on the matter so far. They responded to a post on X sharing the incident, and posted a standard reply asking for the PNR number and phone number.
As per reports, the catering contractor for this train is Vrindavan Food Products, part of the RK Group, the largest contractor for the railway’s premium trains. A senior Railway Board official stated that the catering contractor has been fined ₹50,000 in this case. The company has also been ordered to disengage the staff on duty that day who committed the act. The train’s pantry car manager has also been issued a strict warning.
