'Bland, Unhygienic,' IIM Kozhikode Students Urge Institute To Come Clean On Mess Food Quality

One of India’s premier b-schools, the Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode (IIM-K), has come under scrutiny from its students who claim that the institute’s mess has been deteriorating, with insects, and lack of hygiene being a common occurrence on the food items since the past few months.  

IIM-K, which jumped two rankings from fifth in 2022 to third in 2023 in the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023 (Management), faces these allegations from the students just weeks after it bagged a five-star ‘Eat Right Campus’ certification by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

“Our health is at risk as the condition of the food and hygiene has just gotten worse in the past few years,” stated a student pursuing a Postgraduate Programme in Management at IIM-K.

Photos seen and confirmed by The Free Press Journal show disturbing images of insects, and bland food being served at the IIM-K mess, which students claim they have complained about to the authorities.

“The food is pathetic. The administration doesn’t care and the students also don’t have any other option other than stay hungry or order food from outside if possible,” said another student, who wanted to remain anonymous.

The institute’s Infrastructure Committee, which works with various stakeholders to take care of the mess, night canteen, gym, hostel, and other facilities concerning the student community, has also come under criticism over lack of action around the complaints. 

“I think people have complained tons of times about the bad quality of food but we don’t remember receiving any official mail from the administration regarding its improvement,” lamented another IIM-K student. 

Highlighting the institute’s FSSAI certification, IIM-K Student Affairs Chairperson, Prof. Deepak Dhayanithy told The FPJ that the institute works closely with the mess vendor to ensure food and service hygiene as well as quality.

“The well-being and satisfaction of the students are of utmost importance to the Institute. Measures are being implemented to regularly monitor and assess the feedback from our students and work diligently to address any concerns promptly,” stated Dhyanithy.

According to Dhyanithy, the institute has several mechanisms which address issues concerning the quality of the mess food.

“The Institute has a structured grievance redressal mechanism such as Online Complaint Portal, Students Mess Committee, Grievance Channel, Meeting with Authorities directly, etc, are in place. This mechanism allows students to raise concerns and register complaints related to mess operations, food quality, and conditions,” added Dhyanithy, who further stated that a dedicated mess supervisor checks on the quality of the food with the Students Mess Committee also helping in the menu planning and communicating their needs.