Chennai Central, the Moore Market Complex suburban station and Chennai Beach station were all certified as Eat Right Stations on 1 January 2026, according to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s certified-station list. Villivakkam station and the Airport Metro station are also on the list, making five certified sites in and around the city. Tamil Nadu has 34 in all.
These certificates, along with FSSAI’s separate Clean Street Food Hub tag, are the closest thing Chennai has to a public “eat here with confidence” marker for food clusters. This guide explains what each one checks, which Chennai places hold one, and where the state’s new model food streets fit in.
What an Eat Right Station certificate means
The Eat Right Station tag is given to a whole railway or metro station, not to one stall. FSSAI’s programme page says all food handlers at the station must be trained under its FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) course, and the station must pass a third-party audit against a fixed checklist. It covers every kind of vendor on the premises: catering units, restaurants, food courts, kiosks and retail booths.
In practice, that means the tea stall on Platform 1 and the food plaza near the concourse were assessed together. It does not mean every snack is healthy, only that hygiene, handling and training met the audit standard on the day.
The Chennai stations on FSSAI’s list
| Station | District (as listed) | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central (Chennai Central) | Chennai | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Moore Market Complex suburban station | Chennai | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Chennai Beach | Chennai | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Villivakkam | Thiruvallur | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Airport Metro station | Kancheepuram | 12 Mar 2025 |
Chennai Egmore, Tambaram and Perambur did not appear on the list when we checked. Elsewhere in the state, certified stations include Salem, Erode, Tiruchirappalli Junction, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Rameswaram, Nagercoil, Udhagamandalam and Tiruppur. The FSSAI page shows the date each award was made, but not an expiry date or star rating, so if a certificate’s validity matters to you, ask the station manager or write to the programme address on the FSSAI page.
Clean Street Food Hubs: the rules
A Clean Street Food Hub is a cluster of 20 or more street-food vendors, shops or stalls that meets basic hygiene and sanitation requirements and is recognised by the local body, according to FSSAI’s hub FAQs. To be certified:
- every vendor needs a valid FSSAI registration or licence;
- FoSTaC-trained food safety supervisors must be present;
- the hub needs a municipal no-objection certificate, or a declaration from the city’s Designated Officer that it is a recognised, regularised market;
- the drinking-water source has to be declared;
- a self-assessment is followed by a final audit by an empanelled third-party agency, and the hub needs at least 75% to pass.
The certificate is valid for two years. FSSAI also keeps training, audit and implementation partners separate, so the body that trains vendors cannot also audit them.
Are there certified hubs in Chennai?
This is where the public record is thin. FSSAI’s cluster benchmarking page lists Tamil Nadu among seven states with certified Clean Street Food Hubs, but it gives no hub names or count for the state, and the page appears to predate the scheme’s expansion. Nationally, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said in August 2025 that FSSAI had certified 405 hubs, as reported by All India Radio. We could not find an official, named list of certified hubs in Chennai, so we are not naming any. If a stall or cluster claims the tag, ask to see the certificate and check the validity dates printed on it.
Food streets: what is planned
Two separate efforts are relevant to the city:
- The central food streets pilot. In April 2023 the Union Health and Housing ministries, with FSSAI, announced 100 healthy and hygienic food streets in 100 districts, with Rs 1 crore per street routed through the National Health Mission. The PIB release suggested four for Tamil Nadu.
- The state’s model food streets. In June 2026 the Tamil Nadu government said it would set up model food streets on a pilot basis in Chennai, Tiruchy, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruppur, after a meeting with Food Safety Department officials, DT Next reported. The Chennai location had not been announced.
Quick answers
Which Chennai railway stations are Eat Right certified?
Chennai Central, Moore Market Complex and Chennai Beach (all 1 January 2026), plus Villivakkam and the Airport Metro station, per FSSAI’s list.
How long is a Clean Street Food Hub certificate valid?
Two years, according to FSSAI’s FAQs.
How many vendors make a Clean Street Food Hub?
At least 20 vendors, shops or stalls in one cluster.
Where will Chennai’s model food street be?
The state had not named a site as of the June 2026 announcement.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Certified Eat Right Stations (Eat Right India, FSSAI)
- About Eat Right Station (Eat Right India, FSSAI)
- Clean Street Food Hub FAQs (Eat Right India, FSSAI)
- Benchmarking and Certification: Clusters (Eat Right India)
- Piyush Goyal inaugurates India's first all-women operated Clean Street Food Hub (All India Radio News, 17 August 2025)
- 100 healthy and hygienic food streets: PIB press release (MoHFW, 20 April 2023)
- TN plans 6 model food streets to set hygiene standards (DT Next, 24 June 2026)
