Indian railway: Because the Railway Board has granted the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) the option to personalise its menu, diabetic patients can now obtain their customised meal on trains while travelling. It can now contain foods ideal for infants and health enthusiasts, as well as local and regional cuisines. The move is intended to improve railway food services and provide passengers with additional options.

“As a measure to improve catering services on trains, it has been decided to give IRCTC the flexibility to customise the menu so as to include items of regional cuisines/preferences, seasonal delicacies, festival requirements, food items as per the preferences of different groups of passengers such as diabetic food, baby food, health food options, including millet-based local products, among others,” according to a note to IRCTC.

IRCTC’s menu

At the moment, the IRCTC’s menu consists primarily of standardised food and beverages. According to a Railway Board note to IRCTC, the menu for ‘prepaid’ trains, whose catering charges are included in the passenger fee, shall be determined by the IRCTC within the tariff already set.

Furthermore, on these ‘prepaid’ trains, the selling of a-la-carte meals and branded food items at MRP will be permitted. The IRCTC will decide on the menu and cost for such a-la-carte meals, it said.

Budget menu

The IRCTC will set the menu of budget segment products such as standard meals for other Mail/Express trains within the fixed tariff already announced. It was emphasised that the menu and pricing of ‘janta’ dinners would stay unaltered.

On Mail/Express trains, the sale of a-la-carte meals and branded food items at MRP will be permitted. The IRCTC will decide on the menu and cost for such a-la-carte meals, it said.

“While deciding the menu, the IRCTC shall ensure that upgradation in quality and standards of food and service is maintained and safeguards are built in to avoid frequent and undue changes such as curtailment in quantity and quality, use of inferior brands, and so on to avoid passenger grievances,” the Railway Board note stated.