The Indian Weekender reports that a Christchurch school has issued an urgent warning to parents after discovering that student lunches served on Tuesday were contaminated, raising fears of possible food poisoning. Haeata Community Campus principal Peggy Burrows alerted families via social media, calling the incident a significant health and safety breach. She confirmed that all lunches were recalled immediately, but some students may already have consumed the food.
According to Burrows, staff noticed that the provided meal of mince and potatoes appeared rancid and showed visible mould only after distribution had begun. Further checks revealed that additional meals were also spoiled. The provider, Compass Group, collected the affected lunches for investigation. While some children reported that the food “tasted ok,” others said it tasted “a bit funny,” heightening concerns about possible contamination.
Parents were urged to monitor their children closely for symptoms of food poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever and headaches. Burrows advised that severe symptoms such as bloody diarrhoea, high fever above 38 degrees, dehydration or persistent vomiting would require urgent medical care. She apologised to families and confirmed that a formal complaint had been lodged with the provider.
A spokesperson for the School Lunch Collective, which includes Compass Group, acknowledged a food quality issue at the school but said no students had reported illness so far. The organisation stated that its kitchens are independently audited and operate under verified food safety plans in line with national regulations.
Authorities, including MPI, are now involved in determining what went wrong, while the school will inspect future lunches before distribution. The Indian Weekender understands that the school is awaiting a full investigation report from the provider to establish how the spoiled meals passed quality checks. Until then, the incident has sparked wider discussion about food safety in school lunch programmes nationwide.