{
  "id": 5266845,
  "title": "Nearly 800 fall ill in latest Indonesian free meal poisoning outbreaks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/nearly-800-fall-ill-in-latest-indonesian-free-meal-poisoning-outbreaks",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-03T05:28:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/03/nearly-800-fall-ill-in-latest-indonesian-free-meal-poisoning-outbreaks"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nearly eight hundred Indonesians fell ill in separate cases of food poisoning linked to the government's free meals programme, according to a member of a parliamentary health commission. This included more than five hundred students in East Java province, according to Charles Honoris, a lawmaker and member of a political party outside the governing coalition. The programme, launched by President Prabowo Subianto last year, aims to eradicate under-nutrition by providing free meals to tens of millions of children. However, the scheme has faced numerous controversies, including mass food poisoning incidents, allegations of corruption, leadership changes, and a high price tag. In addition to the five hundred students in Sidoarjo, East Java, forty-nine individuals suffered poisoning in Nganjuk, East Java, and two hundred and thirty-seven people in Agam, West Sumatra. Charles Honoris cited local health department data to support his claim, emphasizing that these were not isolated incidents.",
  "summary": "The multibillion-dollar programme to eradicate child undernutrition has been dogged by controversy, including allegations of corruption.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Nearly 800 fall ill in latest Indonesian free meal poisoning outbreaks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/nearly-800-fall-ill-in-latest-indonesian-free-meal-poisoning-outbreaks-5267289",
        "published": "2026-09-03T05:28:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}