Step by Step effect: DM asks all school canteens to be inspected

NOIDA: The district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar has ordered the inspection of all school canteens in the wake of around 200 students falling ill after having food and water served at Step by Step school.

BN Singh, the DM, said he had instructed the chief medical officer and the basic education officer to ensure canteens and eateries in schools followed guidelines laid down in the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006. Officials have been instructed to check for batch numbers, manufacturing date and nutrition value on packets of spices and edible oil used to cook food for students. “Spices and edible oil should be of good quality and they must be packed tightly. Those cooking the food must wear gloves and ensure the surroundings are clean. The canteen and the school should both preserve food samples for at least 24 hours so they can be examined in case such an incident happens,” Singh said.

Officials from the food and health departments have visited Step by Step twice after the students there took ill. While the first visit last week yielded little other than ajwain and edible oil, the second inspection to collect water samples from the school’s taps on Wednesday was done after the tanks had been cleaned.

Vedpal Singh Pundir, the SHO of Expressway police station, said Step by Step had written to police naming 12 persons who managed the canteen on the campus. Sodexo, the agency that manned the kitchen, said it was yet to get any intimation from the police.

The DM said the teams would often make surprise visits to schools. If items are found to be substandard, a Rs 1 lakh fine would be levied each on the school and the agency manning the kitchen. “There is also a provision for three months’ imprisonment. The schools have been specifically told to ensure food safety standards and cooperate with the administration and police if need be,” Singh said.

CMO Anurag Bhargava said the health department would soon form teams to go on inspections. “We will soon issue an advisory for all schools about food and water served to students. The school management and the canteen operator would be asked to taste the food first before serving it,” he said.