431 East Java Students Fall Ill After Eating Free Meals

At least 431 students at an Islamic boarding school in East Java were taken to hospitals after developing suspected food poisoning symptoms following a free meal program lunch.

Students at Manbaul Hikam Islamic boarding school in Tanggulangin, Sidoarjo, ate meals supplied through Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals program at around noon on September 1, 2026. They began experiencing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea at about 6 p.m.

The school’s foundation chairperson, K.H. Abdul Wahid Harun, said more than 1,000 students received the meals, although not all became ill or needed hospital treatment. The food was supplied by the Kalitengah Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit because the boarding school does not have its own kitchen. “It is not true that the kitchen unit is located at the boarding school. It is in Kalitengah,” Wahid told reporters.

“

It is not true that the kitchen unit is located at the boarding school. It is in Kalitengah.

The unit delivered 440 meal trays. The menu included white rice, scrambled eggs, stir-fried green beans and baby corn, Balinese-style seasoned tempeh, and apples. Some students ate at lunchtime, while others waited until later because they were still attending classes.

First Sergeant Andik, the unit’s supervisor, confirmed the incident. Teguh Bayu Wibowo, East Java’s deputy coordinator for the National Nutrition Agency, said the Kalitengah unit had been temporarily suspended. Authorities are waiting for laboratory tests to determine which food item may have caused the suspected poisoning. “Once the lab results are available, the BGN headquarters will determine whether the SPPG should remain temporarily suspended or be permanently suspended,” Teguh said.

“

Once the lab results are available, the BGN headquarters will determine whether the SPPG should remain temporarily suspended or be permanently suspended.