Akshaya Patra in a soup over no onion, garlic in food

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has landed itself into another controversy on the food provided in the mid-day meals, a month after the foundation was accused of not providing nutritious food to children.

The NGO is under criticism for not serving onion and garlic in mid-day meals after the Karnataka State Food Commission conducted a survey of mid-day meals in government schools and found out that onion and garlic were missing from the food served to the children.

The issue came into light following a report in The Hindu that stated that the students found the food too "bland". The ISKCON-run NGO hasn't changed its stance about the food being served, they said that onion and garlic are 'tamasic' ingredients and would adversely affect one's consciousness, in the same report.

Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organisation that provides mid-day meals to around 17 lakh children across 12 states in India under the Midday Meal Scheme (MMS). In Karnataka, they have partnered with the state government and serve mid-day meals in five districts of the state.