JAKARTA — Nearly 2,000 people, mostly students, fell ill this week in suspected food poisoning outbreaks linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s Free Nutritious Meals program, officials said Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Incidents between Tuesday and Thursday in East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh, and South Sulawesi affected about 1,950 students, teachers, and Islamic boarding school pupils. The largest cluster was in Rembang, Central Java, where 752 students and 25 teachers at State Senior High School 1 Lasem reported diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. In Sidoarjo, East Java, 730 people at an Islamic boarding school were affected; most had been discharged by Saturday.
No deaths were reported. Health Ministry data as of Sept. 2 tied MBG-related food poisoning to 50,059 people in 560 cases across 36 provinces since the program launched in January 2025. National Nutrition Agency chief Sudaryono said reviews found roughly 80–90 percent of prior incidents stemmed from failures to follow storage, temperature, and consumption-deadline rules; at least 833 kitchens have been shut for hygiene failures. The multibillion-dollar scheme aims to feed nearly 90 million students, toddlers, and pregnant women.
