About 300 children fell ill Friday after eating mid-day meal at a state-run primary school here, a health official said.
"The children were rushed to a hospital for treatment following suspected food poisoning after eating a dish served to them during lunch," D.J. Halli ward health officer K. Savitha told reporters.
The food is supplied daily in containers to the Urdu Model Primary School in the city's northeast suburb as part of the state government's free mid-day meal programme.
Though about 500 children ate the food, about 300 of them complained of stomach pain and nausea soon after consuming the dish served from a stainless steel container in which a "dead lizard" was found.
"As per the guidelines, the food was served to children after the designated teachers first tasted it from one of the containers and found it fit for consumption. We stopped serving the dish after some students who consumed it had vomit sensation," a school official said.
Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader, who rushed to the hospital on learning about the incident, assured the parents of the affected children of investigating the food contamination.
"We will investigate how and where the food got contaminated as it is distributed to many schools in the city by the organisation entrusted to supply under the mid-day meal scheme," Khader said.
Outraged parents complained to the minister that the school did not inform them about the incident and sought action against its management.
