Tigard students served pretzels contaminated with oven cleaner, school warns

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Officials at a Tigard middle school are warning parents and guardians that some students were “mistakenly” served contaminated pretzels at lunch on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Tualatin-Tigard School District told KOIN 6 News that the incident happened during sixth grade lunch “when pretzels served were mistakenly contaminated with oven cleaner.”

The spokesperson noted that a total of 37 pretzels were distributed.

In an email shared with KOIN 6 News, Fowler Middle School Principal Cindy Pellici told parents, “We understand that today’s food incident created significant alarm within our school community. The safety and health of our students is our top priority, and we want to reassure you that protocols were followed to immediately identify the students who ate the pretzels and check for illness or adverse reactions.”

According to the school district, Oregon Poison Control Center was immediately contacted and gave the school guidance, noting, if ingested, Alto Shaam oven cleaner can cause a burning sensation or vomiting if consumed in large quantities. Health officials also advised the school district that students experiencing symptoms should rinse their mouth with water, eat food such as a granola bar or bread and to monitor symptoms for 24 hours.

TTSD said all families whose students reported eating all or part of a pretzel were contacted by a school staff member. Parents and guardians are advised to call poison control if students continue to experience symptoms and to call medical providers or 911 for serious adverse reactions such as trouble breathing.

“We are taking this situation seriously, and it is an unfortunate event; we will continue to ensure student safety, the principal wrote. “We appreciate your patience today as we worked to respond to impacted students.”