ISKCON dismisses viral claims on Kolkata school meal menu, says no plan finalised

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has dismissed social media posts claiming to reveal the menu it will serve under West Bengal’s proposed mid-day meal partnership in Kolkata schools, saying no menu has been finalised and no such list has been issued by the organisation.

The clarification comes days after the West Bengal government announced that ISKCON would be engaged to provide cooked mid-day meals in state-run and state-aided schools within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area.

In a statement shared on social media, ISKCON Kolkata vice-president and spokesperson Radharaman Das warned people against circulating unverified information. He said several posts carrying a purported day-wise meal chart were being shared online despite not being approved or issued by the organisation.

“It has come to my notice that some people are sharing the following proposed menu for the midday meal in Kolkata. However, I would like to clarify that no such menu has been finalised, and this list has not been issued by us,” Das said.

He added that ISKCON would make an official announcement once a menu is finalised and appealed to the public not to be misled by fabricated posts.

The controversy emerged shortly after state Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta announced during the presentation of the 2026-27 state budget that ISKCON would be entrusted with providing cooked meals in government and government-aided schools within Kolkata municipal limits.

According to the state government, the initiative is aimed at ensuring nutritious cooked meals for schoolchildren. Under the proposed arrangement, the government will provide financial support while ISKCON will bear the remaining expenditure.

The announcement, however, sparked criticism from opposition parties and sections of civil society, with some questioning whether the move could influence the dietary habits of students.

The debate intensified after comments attributed to ISKCON representatives indicated that eggs would not be part of meals prepared by the organisation. Instead, protein requirements would be met through alternatives such as soyabean, rajma and paneer.

Supporters of the initiative have argued that vegetarian meals can meet nutritional standards if properly planned, while critics have raised concerns over replacing eggs, which are currently part of many school nutrition programmes because of their affordability and protein content.

Amid the growing debate, ISKCON has maintained that no official menu has been approved and that any details circulating online are speculative.

The organisation’s clarification is expected to address confusion surrounding the proposed programme, although questions regarding the final menu and implementation model are likely to remain a subject of public discussion in the coming weeks.