₹40-a-plate momo ends in ₹40,000 medical bill for Hyderabad family

What began as a casual outing to grab a bite of street food quickly turned into a harrowing experience for N.

Swetha (38), her husband Antony (33), and her sister Shivani (30) after they experienced severe symptoms of food poisoning.

On October 25, they had consumed a plate of momos from the ‘Delhi Hot Momos’ stall in Nandi Nagar of Banjara Hills’, which landed them in the emergency room of Apollo Hospitals in Jubilee Hills, where doctors diagnosed them with acute gastritis.

Acute gastritis is an intense inflammation of the stomach lining, often induced by food poisoning, and can cause excruciating abdominal pain along with other gastrointestinal issues.

Swetha and her family’s condition worsened rapidly, they experienced severe bouts of diarrhoea, high fever, and symptoms such as dizziness and headache.

For two days, their symptoms grew even more severe.

Swetha’s father, Jakati Anjaneyulu, a vegetable vendor, spoke of the financial strain that followed the hospitalisation.

One plate of six chicken momos for ₹40 turned into ₹40,000 worth of medical bills for the family.

The momo stall was operated by a vendor based in Khairatabad.

In response to nine people falling ill after consuming momos from the same stall, food safety officials launched an investigation, discovering multiple hygiene violations upon inspection.

Another family affected by food poisoning was that of vegetable seller Munna Yadav.

His two young sons, aged 12 and 13, experienced severe vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever after eating momos from the stall.

The boys were admitted to Vijay Marie Hospital, where they required days of medical care before being discharged.

“With the festival season upon us, I somehow managed to gather ₹50,000 for their treatment,” Yadav shared.

In response to these incidents, the food safety teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) conducted inspections of 110 food stalls selling momos across the city.

Officials collected 69 samples for laboratory analysis and sensitised food handlers of the importance of hygiene, warning that any stall with severe violations would face charges.

“We have to ensure that food standards are not compromised,” an official from the GHMC stated.

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