Over 1,700 Indonesians Sickened by Government Free Meal Program in One Week

More than 1,700 students and teachers in Indonesia contracted food poisoning this week after consuming meals provided by President Prabowo Subianto's multibillion dollar free meal program. In Central Java, 752 students and 25 teachers at a senior high school in Lasem suffered from diarrhea and vomiting after eating grilled chicken. A school principal noted that some of the food was found to be slimy before distribution and that the meals were cooked at 3 a.m. and eaten at noon. Local doctor Joko Paryanto reported that 15 people from the Lasem school were hospitalized.

Other incidents occurred in three additional locations this week, affecting 950 individuals. These include 664 students in Sidoarjo, East Java, 49 people in Nganjuk, East Java, and 237 in the West Sumatra region of Agam. In response, the National Nutrition Agency suspended the kitchen linked to the Sidoarjo case, and the regional government in Agam suspended meal distribution pending an evaluation.

Lawmaker Charles Honoris, a member of the only political party outside the governing coalition, described the situation as a failure of the system. He cited health department data stating that 50,000 individuals had been affected by food poisoning as of September 1. Another figure from the Network for Education Watch estimated that 37,600 people suffered food poisoning linked to the program as of August 8.

President Prabowo launched the program last year to improve nutrition and combat stunting among tens of millions of children. While the president has played down the scale of the problem by stating that poisoning cases represent only 0.0017 percent of the billion meals served, the scheme has faced criticism regarding its cost, leadership changes, and allegations of corruption. A July survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting found that only one third of people were satisfied with the scheme, citing poisoning cases as a primary reason.