The non-availability of good food poses one of the biggest challenges during travel. Access to quality food at an affordable price is the right of every citizen. This is the reason why the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released a list of railway stations where one can trust the Indian Railways to purchase food that is certified for quality. A total of 114 railway stations in India, out of over 7,000, have received the prestigious 'Eat Right Stations' title. Malayalis have much to be proud of as 21 railway stations on the list are located in Kerala.
The 'Eat Right Station' status is not easily earned. This designation is granted based on the performance and excellence of each railway station in providing clean and healthy food to passengers. Even though there are numerous railway stations in the country, only one percent have been able to achieve this feat. Out of the 199 stations in Kerala, 21 railway stations have been honoured with this recognition. The 'Eat Right Station' scheme aims to ensure hygienic, safe, and nutritious food for passengers at railway stations. This certification is also proof that catering establishments at stations, including approved stalls, have the necessary safety arrangements in place for the preparation and handling of food.
The parameters for choosing the stations
These included the quality of water available at railway stations, cleanliness, and hygiene activities, sanitisation, proper maintenance, and inspection of food. This certification was part of the Eat Right India campaign by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Through this FSSAI initiative, it is ensured that food vendors at railway stations, catering units, restaurants, food courts, small kiosks, and retail outlets strictly adhere to safe cooking practices.
Continuous tests
Railway stations that have been chosen as good food stations have not earned that title for nothing. They obtained the status of Eat Right Station after going through continuous tests and assessments. The audit was conducted by an independent team appointed by the FSSAI. They rated the stations on a scale of one to five.
Five stars for stations that excel
Stations were categorized by giving five stars as a mark of excellence for the best railway stations and one star for the worst ones. The inspection ensured that the five-star stations were providing safe and clean food to passengers. Twenty-one stations from Kerala have won the title of Eat Right Station. They are as follows:
Parappanangady
Chalakudy
Thalassery
Kannur
Palakkad Junction
Chengannur
Shoranur Junction
Tirur
Vadakara
Changanassery
Alappuzha
Varkala
Karunagappally
Angamaly
Aluva
Thiruvalla
Kottayam
Kozhikode
Thrissur
Thiruvananthapuram
Kollam
Stations in other States
Among all the States of India, Kerala has the largest number of 'Eat Right Stations'. Be that it may, it will be beneficial for those who travel across India to know which stations belong to this category in other States. Quality food is the most essential thing during travel. The following are some of the important stations out of the 114 that have made it to the Eat Right Station list:
Tirunelveli Railway Junction, Tamil Nadu
Yelahanka Junction Railway Station, Karnataka
Noida Electronic City Metro Station, Uttar Pradesh
Kumbakonam Railway Station, Tamil Nadu
Jalandhar City Railway Station, Punjab
Ajmer Railway Station, Rajasthan
Yeshwantpur Railway Station, Karnataka
Haridwar Railway Station, Uttarakhand
Hyderabad Railway Station, Telangana
Shimla Railway Station, Himachal Pradesh
Puri Railway Station, Odisha
Guwahati Railway Station, Assam
Ayodhya Cantt Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh
Kolkata Railway Station, West Bengal
Visakhapatnam Railway Station, Andhra Pradesh
