More than 1,700 individuals have contracted food poisoning across Indonesia this past week following the consumption of free school meals distributed by the government.
The latest outbreak occurred on Thursday at a school in Lasem on the island of Java, where at least 725 students and 25 teachers reported feeling ill after eating lunch provided the previous day. The school’s principal reported widespread symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea, noting that facilities were overwhelmed because two restrooms were under renovation.
Earlier in the week, over 600 students in Sidoarjo, East Java, were hospitalized after falling ill from Tuesday’s lunch. Additional incidents were recorded in Nganjuk, where 49 people fell sick, and in Agam, West Sumatra, where 237 individuals were affected.
Lawmaker Charles Honoris cited health department data suggesting the total number of cases linked to the scheme could be as high as 50,000. “This is a failure of the system,” Honoris stated.
Investigations into the mass outbreaks point to improper food storage and delayed deliveries of pre-cooked meals as primary causes. In Lasem, a food taster identified some grilled chicken as “slimy” before it could be served. The principal noted that the kitchen operator claimed the food was prepared at 3 a.m. but was not consumed until noon.
The incidents have intensified scrutiny of President Prabowo Subianto’s free school meals program, a $12.94 billion (€11.13 billion) initiative launched in January 2025. Designed to improve nutrition for up to 80 million children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, the policy has been plagued by allegations of corruption, leadership turnovers, and recurrent food safety issues.
As the Indonesian government seeks to mitigate the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, the program was among the first budget items targeted for cuts. The controversy has also fueled public unrest, with hundreds of demonstrators taking to the streets of Jakarta last week to demand the program’s cancellation.
Ubaid Matraji, a researcher at the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, described the situation as a “national alarm.” He criticized the government for treating the sick children as mere statistics, emphasizing that “behind every number there is a sick child, a panicked family, and the state’s failure to guarantee safe food.”
During a recent parliamentary hearing, the head of Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the scheme, vowed to handle the food poisoning cases seriously.
This is absolutely devastating. Over 1,700 people ill is a massive public health failure that demands immediate accountability.
My cousin works at a school in Sidoarjo. The delays are real. Food sitting out for hours is just negligent.
Is 1,700 the actual count or just reported cases? Lawmakers claiming 50,000 suggests the true scale might be far worse than official stats.
It’s alarming how quickly trust is eroding. A $13 billion program should have basic food safety protocols in place from day one.