Major Food Poisoning Incident at Telangana Primary School
More than twenty children have been hospitalised in the southern Indian state of Telangana following a suspected food poisoning outbreak linked to a government-provided school lunch. The incident represents the latest contamination case within India's extensive free mid-day meal programme, raising serious concerns about food safety protocols in educational institutions.
Immediate Hospitalisation After Meal Consumption
The students required urgent medical attention on Thursday after developing severe symptoms consistent with foodborne illness, including intense stomach pain, persistent vomiting, and debilitating nausea. According to local reports, the affected children were swiftly transferred to Narayankhed Government Hospital for emergency treatment following their distressing reactions to the contaminated meal.
Investigation Reveals Concerning Food Handling Practices
Preliminary investigations indicate the incident occurred at Mandal Parishad Primary School in Venkatapur village, located within Sangareddy district. School staff allegedly reheated leftover food from a local function before serving it as the official midday meal to students. Of the forty-two children who consumed the questionable meal, twenty-two subsequently fell ill, necessitating immediate medical intervention.
A police official from Narayanked confirmed the situation, stating: "Some 22 students were hospitalised after consuming sambar and rice this afternoon. They experienced symptoms like stomach pain and were immediately shifted to hospital for treatment."
Administrative Action and Programme Context
Authorities have responded decisively to the contamination incident, removing a staff member directly involved in lunch preparation from their position. Furthermore, the District Educational Officer has issued a formal show cause notice to the school principal regarding alleged inadequate supervision of midday meal preparation processes.
This troubling event represents another contamination episode within India's ambitious midmeal scheme, which stands as one of the world's largest free-school-food initiatives. The programme specifically aims to enhance nutritional standards among children, boost school enrolment figures, and reduce student dropout rates across the nation.
Scale and Historical Precedents of School Food Poisoning
The government's nutritional programme provides cooked meals to approximately 120 million children attending more than one million schools throughout India. Despite its noble intentions, the scheme has experienced multiple contamination incidents in recent years.
Official data from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme combined with media reports indicate that India recorded 979 school food poisoning victims during 2022 alone. More recently in 2025, the national human rights commission launched an inquiry after reports emerged that over 100 children became ill from a school lunch contaminated by a dead snake in Bihar state.
Similar large-scale incidents have occurred internationally, including a significant outbreak in Indonesia last year where more than 5,000 school children fell ill after consuming free school lunches provided under President Prabowo Subianto's nutritional programme for 80 million students.
The Telangana incident underscores persistent challenges in maintaining food safety standards within large-scale school feeding programmes, despite their crucial role in supporting children's health and educational participation.
