Indonesia retains free school meal plan despite mass food poisoning

JAKARTA - Indonesia has insisted on keeping the free nutritious meals programme running and will only close problematic kitchens temporarily for investigation, despite the rising number of food poisoning cases among students.

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Over the past few weeks, more than a thousand students in various provinces have reportedly fallen ill after consuming the free meals from President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal programme, with many hospitalised for severe nausea, seizures and loss of consciousness.

As at Sept 28, education watchdog Network for Education Watch Indonesia (JPPI) recorded that 8,649 children had experienced food poisoning. The Health Ministry, meanwhile, recorded over 5,200 victims as at mid-September.

The figures marked a drastic spike from the few hundred cases reported up to July, before the start of the new school year in August. The free meals programme started in January.

The spike in cases has since drawn scrutiny from health groups and education watchdogs, with some calling for a temporary suspension of the programme to prevent more cases and to allow for a “total evaluation”.

President Prabowo said he was well aware of the food poisoning incidents and that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which is in charge of the programme, and related ministries would work on the solution.