There’s an urgent need to address food poisoning crisis in Telangana schools

Food poisoning incidents in Telangana’s residential schools, hostels, and mid-day meal programmes have become alarmingly frequent. 

The news media is replete with reports of students falling seriously ill due to contaminated food, leftovers, and insect-infested meals contaminated with pathogens like algae, salmonella, E.coli. 

The food poisoning incidents are prevalent across many states in India, but we assess the scenario  in Telangana as a case study. This situation should be considered a public health emergency,  necessitating strict regulations on food preparation and handling.

Have a look at the summarised news reports on the recent food poisoning incidents reported in the news media:

August 7, 2024

40 boys from a minority English medium school in Jadcherla experienced vomiting and stomach pain. 

August 6, 2024 

In Karimnagar, one death and two snake bites were reported in Gurukul schools. 

August 5, 2024 

16 girls at a residential school in Nagarkurnool were hospitalised. 

March 24, 2024-

A food poisoning case was reported in Jangaon district. 

April 18 , 2024

16 female students from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya reported food poisoning.

April 17, 2024

A boy studying in the sixth-grade at a social welfare residential school in Bhuvanagiri died, suspected of food poisoning. Students in the fifth and sixth grades at a social welfare boys' hostel in Bhuvanagiri reported food poisoning. 

May 22, 2024 

Five students fell ill in S.W. School near Jangaon.

September 29, 2023

A total of 216 girls out of 470 reported symptoms of food poisoning at an ashram in Nagarkurnool. 

September 13, 2023

103 students at a residential school in Bheemgal, Nizamabad district fell ill.

July 10, 2024 

Lizard found in Telangana model school Ramayampet.

July 11, 2024 

Raw rice contaminated with insects; SC & ST Hostel at Medak. 

Also, recently, a rat was found swimming inside a vessel containing chutney in university mess at Sultanpur JNTU college in Telangana.

The political response

So the picture is clear.

Worm-ridden food, rat-infested kitchens, swarming cockroaches are a common sight in most of the public kitchens in the state. The total casualties in these incidents were recently mentioned by an opposition leader.  

“Recently during the last seven months as of August 3, eight students died and 500 students took ill due to food poisoning in Telangana state,” Thanneeru Harish Rao, an MLA from Bharat Rashtra Samithi said.

Parents send their children to these institutions with a hope of better food and education, but the reality is often grim. Conditions in these hostels are deplorable, with inadequate hygiene and sanitation.

A multi-pronged crisis

Dilapidated buildings, poor ventilated kitchens, pest infestations, algae-infested water tanks, poor water quality, open defecation, and dirty bathrooms seem to be the norm. 

It is worth noting that one does not come across food poisoning incidents in temples and large restaurants even though they serve huge volumes of food on a daily basis.

Food is often prepared by local village women with practically no cooking experience for large groups. At best they have skills to cook for less than four to five people. 

They cook hastily without assessing the quality of the ingredients. Substandard eggs, vegetables, and provisions frequently make their way into the cooked food. 

School staff, including principals and wardens, rarely supervise food preparation or distribution. The water quality is also questionable, with contaminated water used for cooking and washing rice and vegetables. 

Poorly washed raw materials can harbour harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E. Coli which cause diarrhoea and typhoid. In vegetables, traces of insecticides are not washed properly. They can cause immediate poisoning. Unclean utensils and containers are also sources of contamination. 

The surroundings of both the kitchen and the school are far from being safe for the children. Snakes, rats, and lizards have free access into the kitchen. 

During the monsoon season, rainwater seeps into buildings, creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents. 

Contractors often supply substandard or adulterated grains, pulses, and vegetables infested with stored grain pests, which are used without proper inspection. Protests by older students are met with harsh reprimands and trashing, protesting parents face backlash from school authorities. Children asked parents not to complain in the fear that the next day they will be reprimanded.

Cooking corruption, serving diseases

Raids conducted by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) have found expired food products. There is a perceptible corruption angle even in the meagre funds dedicated for these kitchens. 

The wardens are found to visit the hostel once a month, while they are expected to present within the premises at all times. 

Headmasters,  principals, and the entire teaching staff stay in the nearby towns during the night and only the caretaker is found in these schools during the day. If the food-poisoning is detected, the caretaker tries to delay the report and then informs the principal or the head when things go out of hand. 

Rather, they urgently inform the parents on a phone call to take away their ward. In some cases, they sent the patients to nearby hospitals. It is up to the patients’ parents to shift to better healthcare centres in Hyderabad if the condition doesn’t improve. 

All the expenditure, often in lakhs, has to be borne by the aggrieved parents. And what is worse is that the same business goes on forever without any penalty or action against those responsible. 

There are no suspensions, no dismissals, it all seems to be a  duty without responsibility.  If the food safety authorities of the government find rotten vegetables or meat, they suspend the staff and book the management but the same is not applicable to state-run hostels.  

The way ahead

To avoid this food poisoning menace as a temporary measure, reverse osmosis (RO) water purifier units should be installed at schools, overhead tanks must be cleaned, water and raw food material should be free from pathogens like salmonella and E. coli which are the biggest culprits. 

The entire hostel buildings need to be repaired, mesh windows and doors must be installed, only the certified cooks should be appointed, and the utensils should be cleaned with soaps. 

Also, it should be  a rule that the cooks, teachers, school committee members should eat the food an hour before serving it to students. It should be applied for lunch and dinner and an online video should be connected to a centralised collector office. As a long-term measure, construct new complexes with a standard plan. If the Govt. have no funds, please close this residential hostel system and mid-day meals system where food poisoning is also rampant. 

The children living in constant fear, worrying over food quality can hardly ever concentrate on their studies. The government should take immediate action to save these underprivileged children from the clutches of food poisoning.

Dr. K. Nagaiah is Chief Scientist at CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad; Prof. G. Srimannarayana is a retired professor from the Department of Chemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad; Phaniraj G, is a Boston-based IT Professional

Views expressed are the authors’ own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth