Nearly 2,000 fall ill in suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia’s free school meals program
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Nearly 2,000 people, most of them students, fell ill in suspected food poisoning outbreaks linked to President Prabowo Subianto ’s flagship Free Nutritious Meals program this week, raising fresh concerns about food safety as the government rapidly expands the multibillion-dollar initiative nationwide, officials said Saturday.
Nearly 2,000 individuals, primarily students, fell ill due to suspected food poisoning outbreaks associated with Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meals program, led by President Prabowo Subianto. The incidents occurred between Tuesday and Thursday in various provinces, including East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh, and South Sulawesi.
The majority of those affected were students, teachers, and pupils from Islamic boarding schools who consumed meals distributed under the MBG program. The largest outbreak was reported in Central Java's Rembang regency, where 752 students and 25 teachers fell ill after eating the meals.
Authorities are investigating the causes of the outbreaks, which have raised concerns about food safety as the government rapidly expands the multibillion-dollar initiative nationwide. Since the program's launch in January 2025, food poisoning incidents linked to MBG have affected 50,059 people across 245 districts and cities in 36 provinces, with 80% to 90% of previous cases attributed to failures in following food safety procedures.
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