'Spick & span': Insects found in mid-day meal in Gurgaon; food safety department flags lapses

GURGAON: Controversy surrounds the mid-day meal kitchen at a school in Sector 64 after food safety department flagged lapses. The department has reported finding insects in rice at Heritage Experimental Learning School's mid-day meal kitchen.The food safety department has also detected a foul smell in other food items during a surprise inspection. The inspection was carried out by district food safety officer Dr Ramesh Chauhan and his team following a complaint from a parent. However, the school strongly denied the allegations. Bhawana Magon, a representative of the school, claimed no such issues were pointed out during the inspection. "No, nothing, he did not tell us that at all. Somebody complained and he came for the check, collected samples and went. Everything was fine," she said, adding that the kitchen was "spick and span." Food safety department officials said the school contracted M/s Tiffin Etc to supply meals, with the vendor's staff managing kitchen operations on the premises. During the visit, inspectors collected samples of rice, atta and dahi-veg raita, which were sent to a food lab for analysis. The department indicated that further action would depend on the lab results. The inspection report also highlighted that the kitchen staff deployed by the vendor did not possess FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) training, which is mandatory to maintain hygiene standards. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is already promoting its "Eat Right School" initiative to ensure healthy and safe food practices in schools and officials stressed that regular audits and training were essential to prevent such lapses.School representative Magon clarified that the food is cooked within the premises by the vendor's 12 permanent staff members and served in a dedicated dining hall. She also emphasised that eating school meals is optional, but most staffers, including the principal and receptionists, consume the same food daily.Magon insisted that the school did not receive any formal communication about the complaint or adverse findings. "We didn't even get the details of who complained or what the complaint was about. Nothing at all," she said, adding that all paperwork was provided to officials and a subsequent meeting with the vendor also revealed no issues.While the school maintains there were no lapses, the food safety department awaits the lab report.