More than 1,000 schoolchildren in Indonesia have fallen ill this week after consuming free school lunches, marking the latest in a series of food poisoning incidents linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s multi-billion-dollar nutritious meals programme.
Officials from West Java’s Cipongkor Community Health Center reported that between Monday and Wednesday, 1,258 children became sick, adding to the 800 students affected last week in West Java and Central Sulawesi. Victims reported symptoms including stomach aches, nausea, dizziness, and in some cases, shortness of breath.
The free school lunch programme, a flagship initiative of President Prabowo, aims to provide meals to 80 million schoolchildren nationwide as a strategy to combat stunting and malnutrition. However, repeated outbreaks have raised serious health concerns.
Dadan Hindayana, head of Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency (BGN), attributed this week’s outbreak in Cipongkor to a technical error by the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG), whose operations have since been suspended. West Bandung Regent Jeje Ritchie Ismail declared the situation an “extraordinary event” to allow for faster and more comprehensive handling.
Despite the outbreaks, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar said authorities have no plans to suspend the programme. Non-governmental organisations, however, have called for a temporary halt to review safety protocols, with some proposing that funds be redirected to parents to prepare meals at home—a suggestion previously rejected by the BGN.
Since the programme began in January, tens of thousands of children have been affected. The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reports that as of 21 September, 6,452 children nationwide have fallen ill, while official figures cite 4,711 cases. Most incidents have occurred on the island of Java.
While the initiative has helped President Prabowo gain political support, its $28bn cost and repeated safety failures have drawn criticism. Experts warn that the programme’s scale could increase the risk of corruption and mismanagement, noting that Indonesia already allocates more than $10bn this year for free school meals—far higher than similar schemes in India and Brazil.
Defenders maintain the programme is crucial to tackling child malnutrition, but public concern continues to grow as more children fall sick. Authorities face mounting pressure to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the scheme while maintaining its ambitious reach.
Source – My News Ghana
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