Were Peruvian School Students Poisoned After Consuming Tuna?

More than 80 students in Piura, a northwestern city in Peru, were poisoned after consuming tuna and milk at school on Thursday. They experienced nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. 30 of them were admitted to hospitals. According to news sites, the canned tuna brand named ‘Karpeu’ was produced and supplied to the school by the company Pesquera Karsol for breakfast under the government-initiated ‘Wasi Mikuna’ program to combat malnutrition and food scarcity among school children. A spokesperson for the company said it has met all quality standards and pointed to possible storage failures as the cause of the problem. However, Pesquera Karsol suspended the distribution of the affected batch pending further investigation, reported RPP.

Though news sites point the accident to tuna, government sources are yet to confirm whether the poisoning came from tuna or milk. The incident caused quite an uproar in the Peruvian Congress. Norma Yarrow, a member of Parliament, sent letters to the government asking for an investigation into it.