Several students at a Maine high school got a mouthful of dirt instead of dessert last week after a component of a science activity was mistaken for food during a school event, the school said.

“Last night at the Empty Bowl Supper, an unfortunate accidental incident occurred,” the Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro said in a Facebook post last week.

The Empty Bowl Supper was hosted on May 13 and is a “longstanding community service event” that means “a great deal” to the Medomak Valley High School, principal Linda Pease said in the announcement.

Earlier in the day, a group of students baked sheets of soil to sterilize it as part of a science activity. They planned to later test plant growth with the soil, the school said. 

The dirt had been put into a dish covered in foil which was placed beside the stove area, away from the Empty Bowl Supper food items, the school shared.

“In the effort to quickly deliver food to the serving tables, the dish was mistakenly identified as part of the meal and brought out for service,” Pease said.

Three students “briefly” took a bite of the soil, before “immediately” realizing what the item was, the school said. 

The dirt was removed from the event, the school said.

School staff contacted the parents of the students involved and spoke to the students directly, Pease said.

“This was a completely accidental situation and absolutely not a prank,” the school said.