
A detailed investigation has been concluded regarding the allegations of poisoning that occurred at the Istanbul Şile 75th Year Secondary School on December 25, 2024, allegedly caused by food packages distributed within the scope of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's (IMM) "School Nutrition Support". In the analyzes made, it was determined that the food packages were fully compliant with health standards and did not pose any problems.
REVIEW PROCESS AND FINDINGS
In the detailed investigation conducted by the IMM Inspection Board, samples taken from the packages were analyzed at the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry Laboratory after the incident. The results revealed that the packages did not pose any health risks and that there was no negligence in the distribution process.
In the laboratory, detailed microbiological and chemical analyses were performed on products such as sandwiches, Halk Süt, fresh fruit, water and cake or nuts in the packages. According to the results obtained from the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry Laboratory, all of the products were found to be in compliance with the Turkish Food Codex. The report included the results of the individual analyses of the products and stated, “No negative findings were found in terms of health in the products in the packages.”
PREPARED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF FOOD ENGINEERS
The preparation and distribution processes of food packages were carried out under the supervision of expert food engineers. During the distribution in Şile, samples were taken from each batch and tested, and all procedures were implemented meticulously.
HEALTH OFFICIALS DID NOT CALL IT POISONING
No poisoning was suspected in any of the 53 students who were taken to the hospital on the day of the incident. Health officials made the following statement regarding the students who were discharged the same day:
“No medical findings were found to support the assessment of the situation as food poisoning. Current findings do not support the event being considered a definite case of poisoning. The definitive results will become clear after laboratory analyses.” With the announcement of the laboratory results, this medical assessment was confirmed. The laboratory results confirmed that there was no finding that would lead to poisoning.
EXPLANATION AND PROJECT DETAILS FROM IMM
The “School Nutrition Support” project of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has been carried out since 2019 to support healthy and balanced nutrition of children. In this context, a total of 1 million 542 thousand 530 packages have been distributed to date. In 2024, the number of packages distributed throughout Istanbul reached 719 thousand 530.
IMM officials made the following statement regarding the project process:
“Our project was implemented to provide children in socio-economically disadvantaged areas with a healthy and balanced diet. Post-incident inspections have proven once again that the packages distributed are safe and of high quality.”
RESULT: CLARIFIED WITH THE PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY REPORT
Following the incident, investigations conducted by the relevant ministries as well as the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and analyses conducted by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry Laboratory revealed that the poisoning allegations were unfounded.