136 students and a teacher allegedly fall ill after Indonesia’s free meal program

Students at SMAN 1 Tunjungan in Blora, Central Java, say they feel traumatized after a suspected food poisoning incident linked to Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals program.

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With an incident like this, the children feel traumatized.

The incident on Tuesday, September 8, allegedly affected 136 students and one teacher. They reported diarrhea and dizziness, and at least four students were referred to hospital.

School spokesperson Totok said the problem emerged after several students failed to attend classes because of diarrhea. Staff then noticed students repeatedly going to the toilets. The school coordinated a response and recorded the students experiencing symptoms, while principal Yuni Ni’wati said all symptomatic students were asked to gather in the school hall.

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Initially, there was a report that students were absent because of diarrhea. Then we also found that children at school were going in and out of the toilets.

Yuni said this was the first suspected poisoning case at the school, but the incident immediately caused fear among students. Asked whether the school would refuse future deliveries through the meal program, she said administrators would coordinate with the relevant parties so the situation could improve.

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All those with symptoms were asked to go to the hall.