Seven students at School No. 121 in the Bine settlement of Baku's Khazar district were hospitalized following a food poisoning incident linked to the school's cafeteria. The Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA) launched an immediate investigation after receiving reports through its "1003 Call Center" on April 24.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the students exhibited symptoms after consuming "goghal," a traditional pastry, purchased from the school buffet. The victims were treated at Infectious Diseases Hospital No. 5 for "unspecified bacterial food poisoning" and have since been discharged for outpatient care. Inspections revealed that the cafeteria operated without proper registration, lacked documentation for product origins, and failed to meet sanitary-hygienic standards. Furthermore, a raid on the supplier, the "Lezzet" pastry workshop in Mardakan, uncovered serious hygiene breaches, with lab tests confirming the presence of E.coli, enterobacteria, and staphylococcus.
Food safety remains a high priority for the Republic of Azerbaijan, with AQTA regularly conducting monitoring across educational institutions to ensure compliance with national health protocols. Under Azerbaijani law, food service providers in schools must adhere to strict licensing and traceability requirements to prevent public health risks. Following the incident, the activities of both the school buffet and the supplier have been suspended, and administrative protocols were issued against the school director and the entrepreneurs involved. The findings have been forwarded to law enforcement agencies for further legal evaluation.
