A Kolkata government-aided school has reported finding insects in the potato-and-bori curry served under its mid-day meal programme, prompting fresh questions about food inspection, kitchen hygiene and supply monitoring. The incident occurred at the primary section of CPC Remount Road Institution in the Mominpur area, according to a report by Anandabazar – Kolkata.
The school’s menu on the day included rice and potato-and-bori curry. School authorities said insects were found inside the bori used in the curry. The dish was immediately set aside after staff members noticed the problem, and photographs were taken and shared with the headmistress.
The headmistress said the staff serving the food alerted her after seeing the insects. She said the school submits daily feedback on the quality of the mid-day meal. Following the discovery, the boris were checked and the curry was served after the affected pieces had been removed.
The meal has been supplied to the school since August 1 by an organisation associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON. The food supplied to the Mominpur school is prepared at the organisation’s kitchen in Alipore. The organisation also operates a kitchen in Bagbazar, from where meals had already been supplied to several schools before the Alipore facility began operations.
The Alipore kitchen was presented as a modern facility, with its cooking arrangements and cleanliness shown through photographs and videos during its inauguration. The latest complaint has therefore brought the inspection and monitoring of food prepared at the facility into focus. The report said the organisation is supplying mid-day meals to around 500 schools in Kolkata.
The complaint is not limited to the reported presence of insects. The headmistress of Garden Reach Nutubihari Das Girls’ High School, another government-aided school, said the quality of meals supplied there had declined compared with the beginning of the arrangement. She also alleged that the quantity was sometimes insufficient for the number of students expected to be served.
According to the headmistress, meals had fallen short on some days during the two days preceding the report. Some students were given cake and biscuits instead of the regular mid-day meal when the food ran out. She said the school had communicated these concerns to the appropriate authorities.
Complaints about insects and poor-quality food in school meals have previously been reported in the wider system, which earlier relied on community kitchens and, in some cases, cooking within school premises. The latest allegation is the first reported complaint of insects in meals supplied through the ISKCON-linked arrangement, even as plans are being implemented to extend the model to schools in districts.
Anant Bhagwan, ISKCON’s public relations director, said the organisation would examine the matter quickly and respond after reviewing it. The available report does not state whether an independent inspection, laboratory test or administrative inquiry has been ordered. The next steps will determine whether the complaint is treated as an isolated food-quality incident or leads to a wider review of preparation, inspection, portion measurement and feedback systems across the school meal network.
