Belgaum, Feb 26: There have been allegations that expired nutritious food was being distributed to children in Anganwadi centres in Belgaum, raising concerns about the safety and monitoring of child nutrition programmes.
The case came to light after Kannada activist Kasturi Bavi inspected the food storage of three Anganwadi centres in the village along with local youth.
During the inspection, it was found that food items that had expired three to six months ago were being distributed to children.
Videos of this are circulating on social media and the video has gone viral. In the videos, it was seen that the expiry dates of October and November 2025 were found on the packets of worm-eaten semolina, siridhanaya laddu, sambar powder and mustard.
It is being said that the expired 2025 laddus were distributed in February 2026, and this information has raised concerns among parents.
“This is like playing with the lives of small children. Who will be responsible if any disaster occurs?” Kasturi Bavi asked. He also expressed suspicion that this problem is not limited to one village but could be in other places as well.
However, officials of the Women and Child Development Department have dismissed the allegations, saying that no expired food packets were found during the inspection held on February 7. They said that the viral videos are spreading misinformation and this is a conspiracy.