A 16-year-old girl died and at least 40 other students were hospitalised on Sunday, May 1, due to suspected food poisoning from an eatery in Kerala’s Kasaragod. The girl, identified as Devananda of Karivellur in Kannur district, had eaten chicken shawarma on Friday from a food outlet called Ideal Food Point at Neeleswaram in Kasargod.
A case has been registered against the shop, which has been sealed following investigations. Around 40 school students were admitted to different hospitals after they fell sick, but none are said to be in a serious condition. According to sources, the eatery was situated near a tuition centre that the students attended.
"We are expecting more cases and have asked doctors and staff from other nearby medical institutions to be present at the Cheruvathur PHC and Neeleswaram Taluk hospitals. We plan to treat people with mild issues there and shift those with serious conditions to the district hospital," District Medical Officer AV Ramdas told the media.
State Food and Civil Supplies Department, in a statement, said that the outlet, which was functioning without proper license from the department, has been sealed and the District Collector directed to conduct an investigation. State Health Minister Veena George has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
Senior CPI(M) leader and Urban Affairs and Excise Minister MV Govindan told IANS that the government will conduct an investigation in all food outlets across the state. Minister Govindan visited the students undergoing treatment at the hospital and said that the government will take steps to ensure that quality food is provided to the consumers at hotels. He added that stringent action will be taken against erring hoteliers who are functioning without a license and failing to provide quality and healthy food to consumers.
"The government will conduct inspections across the state to ensure that the food served at restaurants is of good quality," the minister said.
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