Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation542830New partnership deal

MoU signed with Quality Council of India for digital third-party food safety and hygiene audit

IRCTC has signed a strategic MoU with the Quality Council of India (QCI).

By ScoutQuest · Thu 15 Oct 2026, 7:43 PM IST · 2 min read

MoU Partner: Quality Council of India (QCI)
Audit Frequency: Unannounced quarterly and half-yearly inspection cycles
Report Turnaround: reports within a 24-hour window

What was announced

IRCTC has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Quality Council of India (QCI).
The partnership establishes a rigorous, technology-driven, independent third-party audit mechanism to ensure food safety and hygiene standards across IRCTC-managed mobile (trains) and static (station) catering units.

How the audits will run

QCI will deploy certified professionals to conduct unannounced quarterly and half-yearly inspection cycles.
These audits will enforce compliance with statutory Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations and international culinary standards.
Inspectors will use a proprietary mobile application with mandatory geo-tagging, time-stamping and photographic evidence.
Audit reports are to be submitted within a strict 24-hour turnaround window, enabling real-time detection of operational gaps and triggering immediate Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) tracking against defaulting vendors.

What the release lists as key public benefits

Zero-compromise onboard dining: rigorous independent screening across trains.
Consistent quality at stations: complete standardisation of cooking environments across major station-based static units.
Strict vendor accountability: digital evidence-backed reports submitted within 24 hours, supporting rapid penalty or corrective loops for catering licensees.
Visible hygiene and grooming protocols: staff medical fitness, mandatory protective gear and professional hospitality etiquette.
Sanitary storage compliance: segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian raw items, temperature-controlled meal holding and confirmed pest control.
Future-proof upgrades: the umbrella agreement establishes an institutional mechanism for future joint programmes, including Passenger Customer Satisfaction Surveys, infrastructure audits and specialised staff training.

Who signed it

The MoU was signed by Sh. Sudhir Warrier, General Manager/Quality & Projects, IRCTC, and Sh. Subroto Ghosh, Principal Advisor/Head-PPID, QCI, in the presence of Sh. Ramanand Nagender Shukla (CEO, NABL), Sh. Mohit Padhi (Assistant Secretary General, QCI), Sh. Rahul Himalayan, Chairman & Managing Director, and Sh. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Director/Catering Services, IRCTC.

Who the partner is

QCI was established in 1996 through a joint Cabinet decision and is described as the nation's apex autonomous quality body under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It specialises in large-scale nationwide quality benchmarking, third-party assessments and strategic governance audits, and has executed projects such as SwachhSurvekshan and the pan-India Milk & Food Surveillance for FSSAI.

How a retail investor might read this

The announcement centres on service quality, audit oversight and vendor accountability across IRCTC's catering operations, described in the release as covering onboard dining for millions of daily rail passengers and station-based units. The release says audit findings will feed corrective and penalty loops against catering licensees, and that the umbrella agreement opens the door to future joint programmes such as passenger satisfaction surveys and staff training.

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