Vadodara: At least 195 girls staying at Ranak Girls Hostel in Vallabh Vidyanagar fell ill with suspected food poisoning after having dinner at the hostel on Thursday night.Twenty were hospitalised and were reported to be out of danger, officials said on Friday.The girls complained of vomiting and abdominal pain from the early hours of Friday, district epidemic medical officer Dr Rakesh Patel said.The hostel has around 900 residents. Thursday night’s dinner included paneer sabzi and fruit salad, with paneer and milk procured from outside, said Dr Ketki Sheth, officer on special duty (OSD) at the hostel.“We are checking all the aspects. As a precautionary measure, we have directed the current food supplier at the mess to stop supplying food and arrangements have been made to source food from another mess,” Sheth said.Food and water samples from the hostel were collected by food safety officials and sent for analysis. Paneer and milk samples were also sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The exact cause of the illness will be known after the test reports are received.Health department and local administration teams are inspecting the hostel kitchen and water supply as part of the investigation. Officials said food would be supplied under strict hygiene and safety protocols until the probe is completed.
