Food Poisoning Cases Linked to Indonesia's Free School Lunch Program

Hundreds of new food poisoning cases have been reported this week in Indonesia, linked to President Prabowo Subianto's free school lunch program. Over 1,700 people have contracted food poisoning in the past week after consuming meals provided by the government as part of the initiative. At least 725 pupils and 25 teachers at a school in Lasem on the island of Java reported feeling unwell on Thursday morning after eating the free lunch on Wednesday. The school's principal stated, "They had diarrhea, they were vomiting, and felt nauseous," adding that there was a queue at the bathrooms due to two toilets being under renovation. Earlier this week, more than 600 students in Sidoarjo, East Java, were taken to the hospital after consuming free lunch meals on Tuesday. Additionally, 49 people in Nganjuk and 237 in Agam, West Sumatra, fell ill on Wednesday. Lawmaker Charles Honoris cited health department data, estimating the total number of food poisoning cases linked to the program at around 50,000. He described the situation as a failure of the system. The outbreaks have been attributed to improper food storage and late delivery of pre-cooked meals. The principal in Lasem noted that a food taster found some grilled chicken to be "slimy" and set it aside. The $12.94 billion program, launched in January 2025, aims to improve nutrition for up to 80 million children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women. However, the initiative has faced allegations of corruption and leadership changes, and it was one of the first budget items to be reduced as the Indonesian government responded to the economic impact of the war in the Middle East. Protests occurred in Jakarta last week, with citizens calling for the program to be scrapped. Ubaid Matraji, a researcher at the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, stated, "This has become a national alarm," emphasizing the need for the government to address the issue seriously. The head of Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the program, assured a parliamentary hearing that the food poisoning cases would be handled seriously.