Mumbai: BMC school midday meals face hygiene concerns; Tukaram Mundhe urged to take action

Serious concerns over the quality and hygiene of midday meals served at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC schools have erupted into a major controversy uniting corporators across party lines in demanding an immediate overhaul of the schemeShiv Sena UBT Corporator and Education Committee member Ankit Prabhu has written a formal letter to Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe demanding inspection and action against errant supplier agenciesShiv Sena UBT Corporator and Education Committee member Ankit Prabhu PicBy Special ArrangementBJP Corporator and Education Committee Chairman Rajeshree Shirwadkar stated that elected representatives have been raising red flags over poorquality school meals for over a decadepopcorn numberAug 27 descDay FDA cancelled licence of Ciplarsquos Pune facility at Wadki classDefaultUndercooked unhygienic foodMore than three lakh students studying over 1100 municipal schools in Mumbai depend on the midday meal daily for their basic nutrition However complaints of undercooked food foreign objects and unhygienic preparation continue to plague the system ldquoWe found hair excess salt and halfcooked foodrdquo Prabhu alleged that during onground visits alongside party leadership they received alarming feedback directly from students and parentsMore than 3 lakh students study in BMC schools in Mumbai REPRESENTATION PICISTOCKldquoWhen we visited schools students complained that potatoes in the khichdi were uncooked soya chunks were barely edible and meals had excess salt Some students even reported finding hair in their food When questioned supplier agencies try to pass the buck by claiming the central government supplies poorquality grainrdquo Prabhu told middayHe pointed out that earlier protein bars distributed under the scheme were found contaminated with glass pieces and stones ldquoThe BMC must establish stateoftheart central kitchens and rope in reputed specialised organisations like ISKCONrsquos foundation to prepare mealsrdquo Prabhu addedDemand pending for 10 yearsBacking the call for systemic reform BJP Corporator Shirwadkar revealed that substandard food delivery has been an ongoing issue ignored for years ldquoWherever we have visited the midday meal has simply not been up to the mark This is not the demand of just one or two corporators almost all corporators across parties have been demanding for the past 10 to 15 years that this entire system be revamped The contracts must be awarded to capable professional organisations that maintain high nutritional and hygiene standardsrdquo Shirwadkar saidRajeshree Shirwadkar BJP corporatorBMC school networkgtgt Total students 3 lakh to 315 lakhgtgt Total schools 1100gtgt School units operating 7 to 8 multimedium schools per building Marathi Hindi Urdu Gujarati SemiEnglishgtgt Primary meal type Khichdisoyabased preparations amp PM POSHAN supplementary nutritionKey Demandsgtgt Centralised zonal kitchensgtgt FDA kitchen auditsgtgt Appointment of reputed charitable food foundationsFDA cancels Ciplarsquos Pune unit licenceThe FDA on Thursday August 27 cancelled the drug sale licences of Cipla Pharma amp Life Sciences Ltdrsquos facility at Wadki in the Pune district following serious violations detected during an inspection of its drug storage and distribution operations The action relates to Reactin Plus Tablets a Schedule H prescription medicineDuring an inspection at the companyrsquos warehouse in June 2026 officials found that the packaging of Reactin Plus Tablets carried the description ldquoAnalgesic and Antipyreticrdquo in a manner that amounted to an unauthorised advertisement The FDA said such advertising was contrary to provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and the Drugs Rules 1945