Passenger finds cockroach-like insect in Vande Bharat meal
What's the story
A passenger traveling on the Vande Bharat train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai claimed that they found an insect in their meal. The Mumbai resident shared pictures and videos of the meal box on the social media platform X, adding that there were at least two such occurrences in his coach, forcing everyone to stop eating. The dal-chawal meal contained what appeared to be a cockroach-like insect.
Vendor scrutiny
Vendor tagged authorities, asked to raid vendor
The passenger identified the vendor as M/S Brandavan Food Products, part of the RK Group. He tagged authorities on X and asked them to "please raid" the vendor. The passenger expressed doubts about compliance with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines, writing: "I am certain the food is not being prepared as per FSSAI standards."
Twitter Post
Passenger shares pictures of meal
Found an insect in Vande Bharat train food (Ahmedabad → Mumbai). Atleast 2 such cases in my coach, everyone stopped eating after that.
— Aditya Didwania (@adityadidwania) April 6, 2026
Vendor: M/S Brandavan Food Products (part of RK Group).@fssaiindia @AshwiniVaishnaw @RailMinIndia @IRCTCofficial
Just one request to the… pic.twitter.com/rNrfVaNN5b
Official response
Kitchen sealed for cleaning, pest control
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) reacted to the incident by imposing a ₹10 lakh penalty on M/S Brandavan Food Products. A termination notice of the contract is being issued. It further said that the kitchen involved in preparing these meals has been sealed for thorough cleaning and pest control measures.
Safety measures
Incident sparks outrage on social media
The IRCTC has said that it takes such incidents very seriously, with hygiene and passenger safety being its top priority. In a statement, the corporation said, "The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted. The matter has been viewed with utmost seriousness." Two weeks ago, the Indian Railways fined IRCTC ₹10 lakh and a service provider ₹50 lakh in addition to the termination of the contract after a Vande Bharat Express passenger claimed that live insects were found in his Amul dahi.