Train travel is always fun and when its added with colourful packets of snacks and ready-to-eat items always look exciting. They make the journey feel more fun. But very few people know how healthy these items actually are. Most passengers never check what goes inside these packets, and they end up eating far more sugar and additives than they realise.
A passenger on a 4.5-hour journey found that his IRCTC snack pack contained 46.09 grams of sugar. He ordered by mistake after the IRCTC website updated its user interface. The box included a Winkins vanilla muffin, Girnar instant tea sachet, peanut chikki, Real fruit juice and Haldiram’s masala sev murmura.
A sauce packet added extra sugar. The revelation raises public health questions about sugar served on trains and whether rail catering meets basic nutritional expectations for travellers and demands better choices.
Passenger Exposes Excessive Sugar
The passenger listed sugar values for each item he received. He recorded 9.19 grams in a 30 gram Winkins vanilla muffin and 9.42 grams in a Girnar instant tea sachet. The peanut chikki added about 4.8 grams, while a 180 millilitre Real fruit juice contained 22.68 grams.
Haldiram’s masala sev murmura carried negligible sugar. A sauce packet contributed roughly 2 grams. Summing these values gave him 46.09 grams of sugar for the short trip.
He noted that he usually avoids sugar and felt shocked by what he found, and feared other passengers face similar unnoticed intake every day.
Health experts recommend limiting added sugar to about 25 to 30 grams per day for an average adult, according to the WHO. The passenger highlighted that his snack box exceeded this limit in one short journey.
India already faces a growing diabetes burden with over 100 million diagnosed cases and many more at risk, data from public health studies show. High sugar intake contributes to weight gain, blood sugar spikes and long term risks like diabetes and heart disease. Providing high sugar snacks on trains could worsen public health outcomes nationwide rapidly over time.
IRCTC Slammed For Food Quality
Passengers and consumer advocates have questioned IRCTC and its eCatering partners about food quality and nutritional transparency. Social media posts have highlighted similar incidents, with travellers complaining about stale or unhealthy items and inappropriate meal timing.
@IRCTCofficial @irctcnorthzone @RailwaySeva @RailMinIndia sun may rise from west but Irctc catering will remain- PATHETIC. U know irctc ur service providers r spoiling experience of VB. cant even expect decent service of snacks in E class of vandebharat. Food is horrible & stale pic.twitter.com/lzDg1lRS9q
— Ashutosh Mishra (@ashu_sdm) June 16, 2023
Official records show thousands of food quality complaints in 2024-25, and only a fraction led to fines. Critics say the railways should enforce stricter supplier standards and require clear labelling of ingredients and sugar content so passengers can make informed choices during journeys across all classes and trains.
Public health advocates say small policy changes could yield big benefits for millions of rail passengers. Suggestions include offering low sugar or sugar-free alternatives, reducing portion sizes, placing nutritional labels on meal packs and working with reputed brands for healthier menus.
IRCTC can pilot healthier snack boxes on select routes and collect passenger feedback. Railways and health authorities can also run awareness campaigns about daily sugar limits. Implementing these measures will help protect vulnerable travellers, reduce diabetes risk and improve overall onboard nutrition standards across India.
One can opt for healthy snacks like: roasted chana, makhana, badaam, dry fruits, boiled eggs, fruits like banana, apple, oranges that can be consumed while travelling in train with no side effects.
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Swastika Sruti is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX Digital with 5 years of experience shaping stories that matter. She loves tracking politics- national and global trends, and never misses a chance to dig deeper into policies and developments. Passionate about what’s happening around us, she brings sharp insight and clarity to every piece she works on. When not curating news, she’s busy exploring what’s next in the world of public interest. You can reach her at [swastika.newsx@gmail.com]
