Students in India hospitalized after being given laundry detergent in their lunch

Students in India hospitalized after being given laundry detergent in their lunch.

More than 30 students at a government school in the Indian state of Bihar have been poisoned. It was reported that children who complained about the lack of salt in their lunch as part of the government's free school feeding program were mistakenly given laundry detergent. This was reported by The Independent.

At least 34 students from Parsa High School in Nalanda district were rushed to the hospital on August 18 after complaining of a burning sensation in their stomachs. According to the students, the lunch consisted of cooked rice, potatoes and a curry with soy vegetables.

"Most of the students fainted after eating the food," one student told reporters.

Shortly after lunch, several students began to feel dizzy and vomit. The school authorities provided them with first aid. The children were taken to a nearby hospital after their condition did not improve.

School principal Shailendra Kumar Singh said the kitchen staff mistakenly gave them washing powder when the students asked for more salt.

"One of the three cooks in the kitchen was serving food to the children. When several children asked for salt, the staff mistakenly gave them washing powder instead of salt. Lunch is provided by an NGO," the school principal said.

Surgeon Jay Prakash Singh said the students were brought to the hospital with symptoms of food poisoning.

"All the children are in stable condition. Everything will be fine," he added.

Bihar state minister Shravan Kumar said that a thorough investigation would be conducted to find out how the mistake was made, after receiving information about the students' condition at the hospital. This is the latest untoward incident in the Indian government's free school meals program.

The program is one of the world’s largest free school meals programs. It provides free lunches in government schools to improve children’s nutrition, increase school attendance, and reduce dropout rates. The program provides cooked meals to 120 million children in more than one million schools across the country.

However, cases of food poisoning continue to occur. In January, more than 20 students in the state of Telangana fell ill after eating substandard lunch. In 2025, more than 100 children fell ill after eating food contaminated with a dead snake.