Indonesia Investigates Mass Food Poisoning in School Meal Programme

Post by : Raina Nasser

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Officials have opened an inquiry after a large food-borne illness episode affected nearly 700 children in Yogyakarta province, authorities said on Thursday. The cases are associated with the national free school meal initiative launched this year to improve child nutrition.

Regional official Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih said on Instagram that about 660 students at two schools in Gunungkidul district reported symptoms following the distributed meals. Reported ailments included nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and many children received prompt medical attention.

Dadan Hindayana, head of the national nutrition agency (BGN) that runs the scheme, said nearby production kitchens have been temporarily closed while investigators determine the cause. Past incidents have often been linked to improper storage and delayed delivery, prompting scrutiny of safety across the programme’s roughly 11,000 kitchens.

The free school meal scheme, a cornerstone of President Prabowo Subianto’s social welfare agenda, aims to reach 70 million children by the end of 2025 but has struggled to meet an initial goal of 83 million beneficiaries because of logistical hurdles. Campaign groups such as JPPI have urged authorities to suspend operations until food-safety controls are reinforced.

President Prabowo has appointed a ministerial oversight team, including the health minister and the BGN chief, to strengthen monitoring and ensure meals are safe for students. BGN has ordered kitchen staff to scale back portion sizes to preserve freshness and reduce risks of further contamination.

The government allocated 171 trillion rupiah (about $10.3 billion) to the programme for the year, though officials expect only 99 trillion rupiah to be spent by year-end amid operational limits. Authorities said protecting children’s health remains the highest priority even as they seek to maintain the programme’s broad reach.

Experts and officials say the episode highlights the challenge of balancing rapid expansion of welfare programmes with the rigorous enforcement of food-safety standards to safeguard Indonesia’s youngest citizens.