Indonesian Free School Lunch Program Faces Crisis as Over 1,000 Children Fall Ill
More than 1,000 children have fallen ill from free school lunches in Indonesia this week, according to authorities – the latest in a string of mass food poisoning events linked to President Prabowo Subianto's multi-billion-dollar nutritious meals programme.
Yuyun Sarihotima, head of West Java's Cipongkor Community Health Center, reported that the total number of poisoning victims recorded between Monday and Wednesday reached 1,258. This follows the poisoning of 800 students in the previous week across West Java and Central Sulawesi provinces.
President Prabowo has made the nutritious meals programme, aimed at providing free lunches to 80 million school children, a signature project of his leadership. However, a worrying trend of mass food poisoning incidents has led NGOs to urge the government to suspend the program due to serious health safety concerns.
Victims have reported symptoms including stomach aches, dizziness, nausea, and unusual symptoms such as shortness of breath, which is atypical for food poisoning. Previous incidents were attributed to negligent food preparation, including the use of expired ingredients.
This week's affected meals included soy sauce chicken, fried tofu, vegetables, and fruit. The National Nutrition Agency of Indonesia stated that a technical error by the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit was responsible for the outbreak in Cipongkor.
On Wednesday, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar confirmed that there are currently no plans to halt the program despite the outcry.
Between January and September 22, 2025, a daunting total of 4,711 cases of food poisoning have been reported from the free school lunch program, primarily on the island of Java. An even higher number of 6,452 cases was reported by the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network.
Concerns about food safety and improper handling of meals have brought about calls for the government to declare the situation an outbreak, with suggestions to distribute funds directly to parents to allow them to prepare meals for their children. However, this proposal has been previously rejected by the government.
Critics argue that Indonesia's program, costing approximately $28 billion, is fraught with potential mismanagement and corruption, emphasizing the need for urgent reform in the handling of public meals. While the program has faced challenges, it remains a cornerstone of President Prabowo's populist agenda, which aims to address health and nutrition concerns in the country.
