Meeting with food industry players to improve catering services

The meeting was attended by key players from the Food & Beverage industry

New Delhi: The Union Minister of Railways & Coal, Piyush Goyal on 12th April interacted with Food and Beverages Industries Players through video conferencing. The meeting was attended by key players from the Food & Beverage industry viz. Hindustan Unilever Limited, Café Coffee Day, Nestle, Travel Food Services, MoM, Bikanerwala, Taj SATS, R. K. Associates, Arenco Catering, Jubilant Food Services, Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai (P) Ltd., CAFS, etc. The meeting was also attended by Senior officials from Ministry of Railways and IRCTC.

The meeting was held with the objectives to bring on board important suggestions issues, problems faced by key industrial players of F&B industry who are important stakeholders in the delivery of catering services on Indian Railways.

Following items were raised in the meeting with key industrial players of the F&B industry:-

* Improvement in Pantry cars and its cleanliness issues.

* Ready-to-Eat meal & E-Catering should be proliferated.

* Adequate arrangement of catering services on non-pantry trains.

* To follow the airline model having less variety but superior quality.

* Introduction of hot food vending machines on Platforms and trains.

* Non-increase in Rates of food items over years has impacted the quality of mobile catering services.

* Issue of the rate of Ala-carte and standard items served on mobile catering has not increased since 2012.

* Issues of failure of equipment on-board pantry car and non-redressal and to establish a system for their grievances for timely rectification of the same.

* Rates should be increased automatically with time by indexing it with WPI/CPI. Market-driven prices should be given by Railways with periodical revision.

* Members have suggested that all catering items should be priced in multiples of 5 which will aid the passengers and reduce instances of overcharging. Eradication of unauthorized hawking on station and in trains.

* Members have requested for limiting the entire A-la-carte menu and an only bouquet of catering products to just 8 – 12 meals/items and the same be permitted for sale. This will help in reducing overcharging and provide a better quality of service.

Minister of Railways touched upon following issues in this freewheeling discussion and dialogue with the players of the F&B industry:-

1. There were a great stress and emphasis by Minister of Railways to warn and discourage the existing Contractors of Catering Services from indulging in corrupt practices or in harassment of customers. He categorically stated that only approved items with the stated quantity and prices as approved in the policy should be served to the customers.

2. Appreciating the demands raised by the licensees/contractors, Minister of Railways issued instructions for comprehensive improvement and sprucing up the infrastructure/ equipment of the Pantry car and monitoring the same intensively with the use of the mobile application.

3. Licensee, Railway, and IRCTC are important stakeholders in this endeavor to deliver catering services to bonafide passengers and hence, they should sit together and have a free and frank discourse so as to sort out all the problems and gaps in catering service delivery currently faced by Indian Railways.

4. The Terms and Conditions of existing Contracts should be studied threadbare and solutions related to issues of quality, infrastructure, and revision of rates should be found out within that framework so as to move on a sustainable paradigm of catering services.

5. The railway is at the forefront in its service to poor & middle classes population and there should be absolutely no compromise on the quality of services rendered by catering contractors.  In this context, Minister of Railways stressed that all the errant contractors who compromise of quality and indulge in corrupt practices should be shown the door and railway should frame an “Exit Policy” for the same.

6. All the stakeholders in the delivery of catering services should endeavor in the reduction of catering complaints of the passengers and bring about a ‘Wow’ experience.

7. All the waiters/service delivery agents who are at the cutting edge should be counseled and warned against the practice of soliciting tips. If they are found guilty of the same, they will not only be de-boarded but also blacklisted and booked under relevant provisions of law.

8. There was an underline focus to drive home the point that all the caterers/licensees should issue bills/proper receipts and for this POS machines should be proliferated in a big way for both mobile and static catering units over Indian Railways.

9. In order to bring the catering services over Indian Railways in sync with the global best practices, Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meals should be proliferated over Indian Railways in a big way and the long list of a number of items served on board trains should be rationalized and standardized.