From cockroaches and lizards to flies and glass shards, in recent days, images of food served in university cafeterias across Iran have repeatedly made headlines and shocked students who rely on campus meals.
This report shares further details by interviewing students from universities in various cities across Iran.
The incident began on February 24. The “Amirkabir” student newsletter reported that a used syringe tip was found in a meal served at the cafeteria of Iran University of Science and Technology.
Due to the Nowruz holidays and university closures, the report did not receive much attention at first. However, after universities reopened on April 9, a student at Kashan University found a lizard in his plate of rice at the cafeteria, took a photo, and shared it online using the hashtag “lizard rice.”
Other students, upon seeing the incident, protested the quality and safety of the food served at Kashan University’s cafeteria. However, according to reports, one official mockingly responded: “Well, that’s good! We’re giving you Chinese food!”
Videos circulated online show that after hearing this irresponsible response, students at Kashan University of Medical Sciences went on a hunger strike and formed a 200-meter line of food trays in the university courtyard to express their protest.
On April 13, the Student Union of Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamedan issued an official statement expressing regret over the “deplorable, unacceptable, and unsanitary” conditions of their cafeteria.
Before the statement was released, students had reported finding plastic, insects, and worms in their meals, and had protested multiple times. However, in the most recent incident, shards of glass were found in the food.
Most students have no choice but to use university cafeteria food—many cannot afford meals from outside, and many don’t have the time to cook.
University of Tabriz and a live worm in student meals
Shortly after the events in Hamedan, students at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences protested. A live worm was found in student meals served at the university cafeteria.
Student protests about their lives and health being treated carelessly have led nowhere, and university officials continue to deny the incidents.
At the same time, students at Alzahra University in Tehran also reported finding flies and plastic in their food and expressed their protest by lining up food trays in the university courtyard.
Previously, student sources had reported that over 240 students in Iran had been hospitalized in the past year due to food poisoning.
Only six months after a major food poisoning incident among students at the Shushtar University of Medical Sciences, the news of 25 more students falling ill at Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences has sounded a serious alarm about the hygiene and nutrition standards at medical universities in Khuzestan province.
Iran’s regime shows no concern for the condition of students, and regime officials make no effort to improve the situation. Meanwhile, students continue to express their protest against this dire state by organizing gatherings nearly every day for one reason or another.
