Jakarta – Health authorities said that between Tuesday and Thursday this week, roughly 1,950 students, teachers and Islamic boarding‑school pupils in East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh and South Sulawesi became sick after consuming meals distributed under Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
Outbreaks across five provinces
The largest cluster occurred in Central Java’s Rembang regency, where 752 students and 25 teachers at State Senior High School 1 Lasem experienced diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. In Sidoarjo, East Java, 730 people – most of them students at the Manbaul Hikam boarding school – were treated for similar symptoms. Health officials in Sidoarjo reported that 706 victims have already been discharged and are recovering at home.
Additional cases were logged in Agam regency, West Sumatra (276 suspected cases), Bener Meriah regency, Aceh (15 elementary students and a principal) and Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi (152 junior‑high students). Regent Zadrak Tombeq ordered local hospitals and health centers to prioritize treatment for the affected.
Government response
National Nutrition Agency chief Sudaryono told a parliamentary health committee that internal reviews attribute 80‑90% of past food‑poisoning incidents to failures in food‑safety procedures, such as improper storage, ingredient receipt, temperature control and consumption deadlines. He said the agency is tightening oversight of meal providers and reviewing roughly 27,000 distribution centers nationwide. Inspectors have already shut down more than 830 kitchens that failed hygiene standards and uncovered hundreds of allegedly fictitious facilities.
The free meals initiative, launched in January 2025, aims to combat malnutrition and reduce childhood stunting by providing meals to nearly 90 million students, toddlers and pregnant women. The program is budgeted at about $28 billion through 2029 and is a cornerstone of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.
Broader context
Since its inception, the MBG program has been linked to 50,059 food‑poisoning cases in 560 incidents across 245 districts and cities in 36 provinces, according to Health Ministry surveillance data as of September 2. No deaths have been reported in the latest outbreaks, and investigations continue to determine the specific causes.
Officials emphasize that the government remains committed to expanding the program while improving safety protocols, arguing that the benefits of addressing widespread malnutrition outweigh the challenges posed by isolated incidents.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
