A Premium train Ride — And A Disturbing Realisation

You board a flagship train. You expect efficiency, hygiene, and premium service.

Instead, you’re handed a sealed plastic packet that’s visibly hot.

That’s exactly what happened during a recent journey on Vande Bharat Express (Allahabad to Delhi), after experiencing the same thing the previous day on Rajdhani Express (Delhi to Allahabad).

A sealed “Halka Phulka” roti and kachori packet. Warm to the touch. Heated.

And suddenly, a simple question hits you mid-bite:

How was this heated — inside a sealed plastic packet?

1️⃣ The Label Says One Thing. The service Says Another.

The packaging clearly reads:

• “Store in a cool & dry place.”

• No microwave instructions.

• No “microwave safe” symbol.

• No mention of in-pack heating.
  
  
  

Yet passengers are being handed unmistakably hot packets.

Not slightly warm. Not room temperature.

Heated.

When asked, staff on the train reportedly confirmed that the rotis were being heated directly inside the sealed plastic packaging.

That’s not a minor detail. That’s a procedural choice.

2️⃣ Food-Grade Doesn’t Automatically Mean Heat-Safe

Let’s break this down.

Food-grade plastic simply means it’s approved for food contact under certain conditions. It does not automatically mean it’s safe for microwave or steam heating — unless specifically certified for that purpose.

Multilayer plastic packaging, when heated without proper validation, can potentially increase chemical migration into food. Repeated heating at scale? That’s a public health variable nobody should be casually experimenting with.

When lakhs of passengers are consuming these meals daily, this stops being a small operational shortcut. It becomes a systemic question.

3️⃣ Is This Certified — Or Just Convenient?

If these institutional packs are genuinely certified for in-pack heating, then transparency is simple:

• Where is the certification?

• Has it been publicly disclosed?

• Is the packaging microwave-approved at industrial temperatures?

• Is this practice standard across all trains?
  
  
  

Because right now, it looks less like structured compliance — and more like operational convenience.

And convenience cannot outrank safety.

4️⃣ The Accountability Maze Nobody Wants

Here’s the part everyone fears.

If this escalates, where does responsibility land?

• Will IRCTC say it’s the vendor?

• Will the vendor say it’s kitchen-level execution?

• Will regulatory oversight shift toward FSSAI?

• Will ministries deflect toward contract clauses and tender conditions?
  
  
  

Meanwhile, passengers — the ones actually eating the food — are left with unanswered questions.

And if something goes wrong, it won’t be policy statements that absorb the impact. It will be people.

5️⃣ Premium Branding, Basic Compliance

Vande Bharat and Rajdhani are positioned as flagship services of Indian Railways — symbols of modernisation and efficiency.

But premium branding demands premium safety standards.

Serving visibly heated plastic packets without clear microwave-safe labeling sends the wrong message. It erodes trust. And once public trust cracks, it’s far harder to rebuild than to preserve.

The Bigger Issue: Transparency Over Silence

This isn’t about blame games.

It’s about clarity.

Passengers deserve to know:

• Is the packaging tested for direct microwave heating?

• Who authorised this method?

• Has safety validation been conducted?

• Will corrective measures be announced?
  
  
  

Because public health cannot rely on assumptions.

And “it’s probably fine” is not a food safety policy.

The Bottom Line

Hot food is appreciated.

But not at the cost of uncertainty.

If everything is compliant — say so clearly. Publish the standards. Share the approvals.

If not, fix it immediately.

Lakhs of passengers travel daily. The system owes them not just efficiency, but accountability.

And on matters of food safety, silence is never reassuring.