BENGALURU — A major health scare unfolded in North Bengaluru’s Devanahalli area after at least 97 employees of a private company fell ill due to suspected food poisoning. The incident occurred after the staff consumed meals provided by their workplace canteen, prompting an immediate investigation by local health and food safety officials.
According to preliminary reports, the affected employees ate traditional fermented dishes specifically idli and vada for breakfast, followed by sambar and rice for lunch. By the evening, multiple workers began exhibiting classic signs of food-borne illness, including severe abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.
Emergency response teams were quickly deployed, and the ailing employees were rushed to two nearby private hospitals for medical attention. Hospital personnel administered intravenous fluids to stabilize their conditions. Fortunately, the majority of the patients were treated as outpatients, and no casualties or critical complications have been reported thus far.
Bengaluru Rural District Health officials confirmed that samples of the leftover food have been collected and sent to laboratories for rigorous analysis. Civic authorities are currently inspecting the canteen’s kitchen hygiene, raw material storage, and water sources to determine if bacterial contamination or hygiene lapses caused the outbreak.
Health
experts note that the ongoing summer heat drastically increases the risk of food spoilage, particularly for fermented foods like idli batter. High temperatures accelerate microbial activity, making strict refrigeration and sanitation protocols essential.
The incident has sparked renewed concerns regarding food safety standards in large corporate cafeterias across Bengaluru’s business hubs. Workers are now urging authorities to enforce stricter monitoring of workplace canteens to prevent similar outbreaks. Test
results from the collected food samples are expected shortly, which will determine the subsequent legal or regulatory action against the canteen operators.
