This might be hard to digest but the food served at Indira Canteens might be unsafe for consumption.

BJP corporator Umesh Shetty on Monday released laboratory reports that put a question mark on the quality of the food served at the canteens, which were launched with much fanfare by the Siddaramaiah government.

The tests - which were conducted at the Ramaiah Advanced Testing Laboratory and the Public Health Institute - found the presence of chemicals and bacteria in the food served at five Indira Canteens in Bengaluru.

Speaking to DH, Shetty said, “The food from the canteens is consumed by pourakarmikas. After testing it in two laboratories, it was found there are harmful bacteria in the food which may cause various health issues including food poisoning.”

Shetty claimed that cleanliness is not maintained at the canteens. “More than 16,000 pourakarmikas are given Indira canteen food. The state government should immediately take action against the contractors responsible for the bad quality food,” he added.

The Ramaiah Advanced Testing Laboratory report, which was accessed by DH, states, “The given sample is not safe for human consumption.”

The report by Public Health Institute says, “The microbiological quality of the given food sample is not within the satisfactory limits.”

Food samples from the Mudalapalya, Byatarayanapura, Jayanagar, JP Nagar, and Nagapura ward canteens were used for testing purposes. The samples included rice, sambar and bisibelebath.

Reacting to allegations on the poor quality of food in Indira Canteens, Deputy Chief Minister, G Parameshwara said, “I have directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner to check the quality of food provided in all Indira canteen in 198 wards immediately. If the food quality is found to be adulterated, we will take action against the contractors.”

In the wake of laboratory reports on poor quality of food, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad directed health officials to test canteen food in the FSSAI approved, National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited or reputed laboratories.

Speaking to DH, Prasad asked the public “not to panic”. “I have directed officials to immediately collect samples of raw materials as well as cooked food from the Indira canteens and send it for investigation,” he said. “I have also directed officials to collect food samples every month from the canteen kitchen and send it for testing. The report will be displayed in all the canteens.”