Food Safety Concerns On Rise for Pune University Students

A probe was launched to examine the preparation of food in a Pune University canteen after students complained of odd tasting meals.

23 April 2024

By Khushi Maheshwari

More than 50 students of a private coaching centre in the Khed Taluka tehsil of Pune city had to be hospitalised on Saturday on suspicion of food poisoning from the previous night’s dinner at their hostel. Now, reports of stale food being served to the students of Pune University in their canteen are making the rounds. 

On Monday, claims of chapatis being prepared using foul flour and the meals in general having an odd, sour taste to them came to the forefront. It led to an intense confrontation between the canteen management and the students. 

The representative of the University Student Struggle Action committee, Rahul Sasane, threw light on the recent food poisoning instances in Mumbai University and conveyed sincere concerns over the quality of food. He added that any carelessness in terms of food quality and harm to students’ physical health should lead to the university being held responsible. There have been grievances related to the food served even before this, but as of yet no progress has been made to redress those. 

Mayur Javale, a student at the university, complained of a sour taste in the chapatis during lunch, post which probes were prompted into the quality of the flour used and it was discovered that the flour was indeed spoiled. 

However, the owner of the cafeteria, Rahul Digardive, has refuted all the allegations while claiming that they use top-quality ingredients in their meal preparations, although he has promised an internal inquiry into the issue. 

The Savitribai Phule Pune University has undergone the same rounds of food quality related allegations in the past. Those situations involved food prepared in unhygienic conditions, foreign objects like hair and insects floating up in curries, spoiled food and so on. This led to an uproar among the students and the university saw student protests for the same cause. Keeping in view the discontent and grievances, the university established a ‘Restaurant and Canteen Vigilance Committee’ for the redressal of complaints of this nature. 

Cases of food poisoning have become quite frequent among students. In the summer months, it is pertinent for the concerned authorities to ensure that food of optimum quality is provided to the students.