{
  "id": 5752879,
  "title": "Nearly 2,000 fall ill in suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia’s free school meals program",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/nearly-2-000-fall-ill-in-suspected-food-poisoning-linked-to",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-05T09:18:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/09/05/nearly-2000-fall-ill-in-suspected-food-poisoning-linked-to-indonesias-free-school-meals-program"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nAuthorities 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.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Nearly 2,000 fall ill in suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia’s free school meals program",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/nearly-2-000-fall-ill-in-suspected-food-poisoning-linked-to-5755641",
        "published": "2026-09-05T09:23:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}