Nearly 2,000 Suspected Food Poisoning Cases Linked to Indonesia's Free School Meals

Nearly 2,000 people fell ill this week after eating meals distributed through Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meals program, adding fresh pressure to President Prabowo Subianto's flagship initiative as it expands across the country.

Officials reported about 1,950 affected students, teachers and Islamic boarding school pupils between Tuesday and Thursday in East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh and South Sulawesi. The largest outbreak occurred in Central Java's Rembang regency, where 752 students and 25 teachers at State Senior High School 1 Lasem developed diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, according to Rembang Health Office head Ali Syofi'i.

In Sidoarjo, East Java, 730 people, most of them students at the Manbaul Hikam Islamic boarding school, were affected. Sidoarjo health office chief Lakhsmie Herawati Yuwantina said 706 victims had been discharged and were recovering at home. Authorities also reported 276 suspected cases among students and teachers in Agam regency, West Sumatra, where meals from the local nutrition service centre were suspended while officials investigate.

In Aceh's Bener Meriah regency, 15 elementary school students and a school principal received treatment after experiencing dizziness, nausea and other symptoms. Another 152 students from two junior high schools in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, were treated at three hospitals. No deaths have been reported, and authorities are investigating the causes.

The incidents are the latest setback for a program that has faced repeated food poisoning cases and corruption allegations since its launch in January 2025. Health Ministry surveillance data showed that, as of Sept. 2, 50,059 people had been affected in 560 incidents across 245 districts and cities in 36 provinces. National Nutrition Agency chief Sudaryono told the House Commission IX that internal reviews linked about 80 to 90 percent of previous incidents to failures in food safety procedures, including food storage, ingredient receipt, temperature control and consumption deadlines.