Mass Food Poisoning Affects Over 1,000 Indonesian Schoolchildren

Thu Oct 16 2025 16:45:37 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A recent outbreak linked to a government meal program has resulted in over 1,000 children falling ill in Indonesia, raising serious health concerns and criticism of the initiative.

Over 1,000 schoolchildren in Indonesia have fallen ill following the consumption of meals from a controversial free lunch program. The program, launched by President Prabowo Subianto, aims to provide nutritious meals to 80 million children but has faced severe scrutiny due to multiple cases of food poisoning. Authorities insist on continuing the program despite calls for its suspension, raising alarms about food safety and governance in the country.

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 program.

Yuyun Sarihotima, head of West Java's Cipongkor Community Health Center, told BBC Indonesia that the total number of poisoning victims recorded between Monday and Wednesday had reached 1,258.

This follows the poisoning of 800 students last week in West Java and Central Sulawesi provinces.

President Prabowo has made the nutritious meals program – which aims to offer free lunches to 80 million school children – a signature of his leadership.

But a spate of mass food poisoning incidents has led non-governmental organizations to call for authorities to suspend the program due to health concerns.

Muhaimin Iskandar, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, said on Wednesday that there are no plans to stop it.

Victims of the recent outbreaks complained of stomach aches, dizziness, and nausea – as well as shortness of breath, which is a non-typical symptom of food poisoning.

In previous cases of food poisoning stemming from the free lunch program, negligent food preparation has been cited as a suspected cause.

This week's victims ate meals that included soy sauce chicken, fried tofu, vegetables, and fruit – but past poisoning incidents have been linked to expired sauce and, in one case, the serving of fried shark.

The head of Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana stated that the mass food poisoning in Cipongkor last week was the result of a technical error by the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG), which has reportedly had its operations suspended.

The situation is critical, with West Bandung regent Jeje Ritchie Ismail declaring the Cipongkor mass poisoning as an extraordinary event for expedited handling.

From January to September 22, BGN reported 4,711 cases of food poisoning from the free school lunch program, primarily occurring on the island of Java, with an NGO estimating the figure to be as high as 6,452 children.

Some have called for a reevaluation of the entire scheme and suggested that funds be distributed directly to parents for meal preparation, a proposal the BGN has rejected.

Across the world, similar initiatives have shown effectiveness in health and education, but Indonesia's program is now facing mounting food safety concerns, ongoing protests against the government, and operational scrutiny as it potentially becomes one of the costliest in the world at over $28 billion this year.

Experts warn of potential corruption within large-scale social assistance initiatives, urging immediate action to address both health and economic implications of the ongoing program.