More than 50 middle school students in Oregon were fed pretzels that were seasoned with crushed oven cleaner last fall, according to a newly filed lawsuit.
About 37 pretzels coated with Alto-Cham concentrated oven cleaner — an industrial-strength caustic chemical made with sodium hydroxide — were served during sixth-grade lunch at Fowler Middle School in Tigard, a suburb of Portland, on October 20, 2025, according to a nearly $1 million lawsuit filed last month.
More than 50 students ate all or part of the impacted pretzels, according to Tigard-Tualatin School District records obtained by Fox 12.
Not in the US but I’ve seen this done in many quasi-industrial environments (incl schools).
Material is bought bulk, because it’s cheaper to buy cleaning solution or raw materials 5-10kg a time than buying 100x 50-100g small containers, then it’s used to fill up existing containers - many which often lack any kind of labeling, at most, a Sharpie scribble on it.
Then someone simply leaves the container in the kitchen by accident. Another person finds it and puts it somewhere. A third one comes in, thinks it’s something else (because why would someone leave industrial cleaner on the spice rack?) and uses it accordingly.
In my high school, a single tired front office worker (security guard, attendant, etc.) nearly killed half the teachers because he prepared the coffee from a container of rat poison (I think it was rat poison?), because a cleaner dropped off a container of it right next to the sugar container (because of course an unlabelled plastic bottle of white crystals needs to go right next to the sugar and creamer???), because the exterminator who came over the weekend, left said container right next to a radiator… and the exterminator used the same kind of plastic bottle “salt shaker” the kitchen used for salt, sugar, etc.).