Around 400 children have fallen ill after consuming free school meals in Indonesia’s western Bengkulu Province, in what is the largest mass food poisoning case to date linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship food program. Launched in January, the initiative for free meals for children and pregnant women has been plagued by similar incidents across the country, affecting hundreds of people.
Last month, 365 individuals fell ill from the free school meals in Central Java. Local media reports, citing laboratory results, indicated that the outbreak was a result of poor sanitation. In Bengkulu, a video handout from the local government showed children aged between 4 and 12 being rushed to a local hospital last Thursday after complaining of stomach pain.
The province’s vice governor, Mian, stated that authorities will launch an investigation into the cause of the illness. “We will temporarily suspend operations at this kitchen while we investigate where the weaknesses lie. This is the domain of the BGN (National Nutrition Agency) investigation team and the authorities,” he said.
The National Nutrition Agency, which operates the program, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since its inception, the program has been rapidly expanded, reaching over 20 million recipients so far, with plans to reach 83 million by year-end at a total cost of 171 trillion rupiah ($10.52 billion) this year.
