Suraiyo Rahmonova, the children's ombudsman of Uzbekistan, proposed to significantly tighten the requirements for food suppliers for kindergartens. She characterized the mass cases of poisoning among children as a "threat to the gene pool of the nation." This statement was made at a meeting of the Legislative Chamber, prompted by a recent incident in the Fergana region, where 62 children were affected.
According to her, food safety issues in the country's children's institutions have taken on a systemic nature. In 2025, there were more than 1,900 cases of group illnesses in 82 kindergartens in the Tashkent region. Large-scale inspections revealed serious violations of sanitary standards by outsourcing and catering companies responsible for children's meals. Rahmonova emphasizes the need for strict measures against unscrupulous suppliers, up to their complete exclusion from the social sphere.
The Sanitary and Epidemiological Committee of Uzbekistan confirmed that all cases of mass poisoning are linked to private enterprises. In particular, in the Tashkent region, over a thousand children were infected due to products from one dairy manufacturer, which were purchased by three service companies.
To date, oversight of suppliers' activities in Uzbekistan is carried out through a unified information system of the business ombudsman, which prevents the possibility of illegal unscheduled inspections. However, in light of the increasing cases of hospitalization, the country's authorities intend to review the mechanisms for controlling the quality of food in public institutions to avoid a recurrence of such crises in the future.
