Twenty pupils from Bubog Elementary School in Barangay Bubog, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, fell victim to food poisoning after consuming expired food.
Initial information revealed that 15 students were rushed to the City Health Office early this morning, which eventually increased to 20.
The source of the contaminated food was traced to the uncle of one of the pupils. The uncle works in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City, feeding maggots using expired food products. He reportedly brings home some expired items, which the family occasionally consumes without any adverse effects.
Despite his efforts to store the food away from the children, one of them managed to take the food and sell it to classmates at school.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo Bacolod, Ian Arnold Arnaez, the public information officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) division of Negros Occidental, confirmed that the affected pupils experienced vomiting and stomach pain after consuming the expired chocolates. Authorities immediately called an ambulance to transport the victims to the City Health Office for medical attention.
Fortunately, the children are now in stable condition.
Further investigation revealed that the chocolates consumed by the pupils had expired in September 2024, while the potato chips they ate had already expired in October 2024.
DepEd has urged parents and guardians to be vigilant in monitoring the food consumed by their children and to avoid buying or selling food without verifying its safety. Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident to ensure that such cases do not happen again.