Food Safety Drive Finds Violations at KR Puram and Other Railway Stations

Food safety officials uncovered widespread violations, including expired dairy products, unhygienic handling, and fungal growth on produce, during an inspection drive across railway stations on August 19, including facilities at KR Puram and Yelahanka.

The statewide operation was conducted by the Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department. Inspection teams surveyed hotels, canteens, food stalls, pantry cars, food preparation units, and other commercial food businesses operating on railway premises. In total, officials visited 36 railway stations and inspected 112 food establishments.

At the KR Puram railway station, inspectors discovered an unhygienic food establishment as well as fungal growth on stored onions and vegetables.

Across multiple stations, improper food handling and packaging practices were widely observed. Inspectors found samosas stored directly inside cardboard boxes and freshly prepared vadas placed on sheets of newspaper. Several establishments were also caught wrapping food items in newspaper before handing them to customers, while chutney was found stored in plastic buckets unsuitable for food contact.

Officials also identified the suspected use of unauthorised synthetic colours in several confectionery items, including yellow colouring in jalebi and pink colouring in khoa peda.

Violations were noted in several other parts of Karnataka as well. At Haveri railway station, inspectors detected expired packets of milk and curd. At Mysuru railway station, food preparation units were found using plastic bags during cooking, while vendors were selling unlabelled packets of chapatis.

Besides KR Puram and Yelahanka, the drive covered stations across Kolar, Mysuru, Udupi, Koppal, Yadgir, Hubballi, Mangaluru, Ballari, Hosapete, Gadag, and Davanagere.