Overview

• At a Sept. 24 news conference, the city’s education board said it never decided to provide lunches tailored specifically for Muslim students.
• Officials reported over 1,000 phone calls and emails in roughly six days related to the rumor, prompting a public clarification and disrupting routine work.
• City records show a 2023 petition requesting pork-free options was never adopted and lapsed in February 2025 following a council reorganization.
• In February, the city served a one-time allergen-friendly “Niko-Niko Kyushoku” that excluded 28 items including pork, which was misread online as a religious accommodation policy.
• Some complainants also mischaracterized a June 2025 cooperation agreement with India’s Telangana state as an immigration measure, compounding the backlash.