The school bell rings and within seconds dozens of children stream out onto the footpath.
Waiting for them are rows of brightly coloured food carts selling jhalmuri, fuchka, chotpoti, pickles, ice lollies and packets of chips.
For many students, the roadside stalls have become as much a part of the school day as the classroom itself.
But health experts warn that the cheap snacks attracting thousands of children every day may also be exposing them to dangerous bacteria, chemical additives and long-term nutritional risks.
A growing body of evidence suggests that the food sold outside schools is emerging as an overlooked public health threat for urban children, undermining efforts to improve nutrition and reduce food-borne illnesses.
From Dhanmondi and Azimpur to Gulistan, Ramna and areas surrounding Dhaka University’s affiliated schools, vendors line school gates each day, drawing students with low prices and familiar flavours.
For many children, affordability is the biggest attraction.
“There is a canteen inside the school, but it is expensive,” said Sobuj, a seventh-grade student in Dhanmondi.
“Outside I can buy jhalmuri for Tk10. All my friends eat there.”
His classmate Pushpita said students often prefer roadside snacks even when alternatives are available inside school compounds.
Yet the consequences can be immediate.
Pronob, a ninth-grade student, said he was hospitalized after eating fuchka outside his school.
“I started vomiting and had severe stomach pain that night. The doctor told me it was probably caused by contaminated food,” he said.
Health experts say such cases are far from isolated.
According to a 2024 study conducted jointly by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Dhaka University, 44% of food sold around schools failed quality standards.
The study found that seven out of ten vendors did not wash their hands before handling food, while most sold items uncovered and exposed to dust, flies and vehicle emissions.
Public health specialists warn that contamination often extends beyond visible hygiene problems.
“These foods frequently contain reused cooking oil, artificial colours and low-quality ingredients,” said nutritionist Dr Farzana Wahab.
“Laboratory testing has identified bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella in street foods. These can cause diarrhoea, gastrointestinal infections, dehydration and other serious health complications.”
She warned that regular consumption of such foods can also contribute to poor nutrition outcomes, weakening children’s immunity and increasing their vulnerability to disease.
The concern comes as Bangladesh is already struggling with a double burden of malnutrition among children.
While undernutrition remains widespread, unhealthy processed and street foods are increasingly contributing to obesity and diet-related illnesses among urban children.
A Unicef report published this year found that nearly two-thirds of urban children in Bangladesh consume street food at least three times a week, often replacing healthier meals and disrupting balanced diets.
Parents say peer pressure makes the problem difficult to control.
“I always tell my daughter not to eat from these carts,” said Jabeda Begum, a mother in Dhanmondi.
“But when all her friends buy snacks after school, she wants to do the same.”
Teachers acknowledge that schools have limited authority beyond their gates.
“We teach nutrition and healthy eating habits in classrooms,” said Tabassum Khanam, a teacher at a private school in Ramna.
“But once students leave school premises, monitoring what they eat becomes almost impossible.”
Authorities admit enforcement remains weak.
Dr Nishat Parveen, chief health officer of Dhaka South City Corporation, said regulations restricting food vendors around schools exist but are difficult to enforce because of manpower shortages.
Health experts argue that enforcement alone will not solve the problem.
Instead of periodic eviction drives, they recommend mandatory food safety training, improved licensing systems and regular inspections for vendors operating near schools.
Without such measures, they warn, the colourful carts waiting outside school gates may continue serving more than snacks -- they may also be serving a steady stream of preventable illness to the city’s children.
