Food Supplier Denies Poor-Quality Products Reached Tyumen School
The catering organizer for the Onokhinskaya School in the Tyumen region, where an outbreak of intestinal infection was reported, has commented on whether poor-quality products could have reached the children«s tables.
This concerns the combine Magiya Vkusa (Magic of Taste). This company is one of the largest suppliers of meals to schools, kindergartens, and children«s centers not only in the Tyumen district but also in neighboring cities.
They organize hot breakfasts and lunches at the Onokhinskaya School. On January 28, its students began feeling unwell: they experienced vomiting, abdominal pain, and chills. Parents had to call ambulances to their homes.
Then on January 29, Rospotrebnadzor (the Russian consumer rights and sanitary watchdog) notified the catering combine of an upcoming inspection.
«As of today, all laboratory tests, swabs, and everything else have been conducted. There are no results yet. Therefore, I cannot say whether this was an intestinal or some other infection,» Marina Syskova, the general director of Magiya Vkusa, told 72.RU.
Meanwhile, local residents, without waiting for the completion of Rospotrebnadzor«s investigation, have begun sharing their own versions on social media. For example, some parents believe the children»s health deteriorated after eating soup. According to others, the cause might lie in poor-quality eggs that were recently pulled from sale due to an outbreak of avian flu at one of the region«s enterprises.
However, a representative of the catering combine considers both scenarios unlikely.
«We have been operating for a very long time. And all processes are organized at a high level—in accordance with SanPiN (sanitary rules). Substandard products cannot a priori reach us for two simple reasons: we have all the accompanying documentation and the »Mercury« program, which tracks all livestock products,» she added.
Following the incident of the possible poisoning of schoolchildren, the educational institution has been temporarily closed. All lessons for the children are being conducted remotely. The cafeteria has been disinfected, as have other institutions where Magiya Vkusa is the catering organizer.
«It is currently the season for enteroviruses, and at this time we always pay attention to processing the food service area, but today these measures have been further strengthened,» says the general director.
LLC Magiya Vkusa has been on the market for 17 years. During this time, the company has fed a huge number of children. Complaints against them, as against other catering combines, have been received before. Following one such complaint, we even visited the most hidden corners of Magiya Vkusa. See in our report the entire journey of the food that ultimately ends up on children«s tables.
As a reminder, after children from the Onokhinskaya School sought medical help en masse, the Tyumen investigative committee initiated a criminal case. A 24/7 hotline for patients with symptoms of intestinal infection has even opened in the region: +7 (3452) 270-331, available around the clock.
