Thousands of Indonesian children poisoned in $10 billion free meal program

Health NGOs in Indonesia have called on the government to temporarily suspend a free school meal program after thousands of children fell ill.

Preparing meals in the free school meals program in Indonesia - Photo: REUTERS

Launched in January 2025, the $10 billion program has reached more than 20 million people in Indonesia and is rapidly expanding to reach 83 million women and children by the end of the year.

However, the initiative, spearheaded by current Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, has faced a number of supply and preparation hurdles, with a recent mass poisoning of more than 500 children raising questions about the program.

According to Reuters on September 22, the Health Monitoring Committee received reports from six non-governmental organizations, including the Indonesian Center for Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), the Mother and Child Health Movement, and the Joint PPI Education Monitoring Network... about concerns about the free school meal program.

JPPI head Ubaid Matraji told a parliamentary committee that food poisoning from the free meals had affected 6,452 children nationwide. Calling it a “systemic failure,” he called on the government to halt the program and increase oversight.

CISDI, which also proposed suspending the program, is concerned that the government has no mechanism to assess kitchens with food poisoning cases or prevent such outbreaks.

NGOs have also called on the National Nutrition Agency, which runs the programme, to pay more attention to the nutritional value of the food on offer, pointing out that most menus still use ultra-processed products, which are considered unhealthy.

Ultra-processed foods are complex industrial products, containing ingredients and additives not typically found in home kitchens.

“Distribution of this type of food deviates from the goal of providing nutritious meals and can cause non-communicable diseases,” said Dr Tan Shot Yen of the Mother and Child Health Movement.

At a press conference on September 22, the head of the National Nutrition Agency, Dadan Hindayana, avoided answering the proposal to suspend the free school meal program. He expressed regret over the poisoning cases.

Of the 1 billion meals served, there were 4,711 suspected cases of food poisoning, he said. The government will investigate. This year's budget of 171 trillion rupiah ($10.3 billion) for the program is expected to double next year.

DUY LINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hang-ngan-tre-indonesia-ngo-doc-trong-chuong-trinh-bua-an-mien-phi-10-ti-usd-20250922204545943.htm