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 programme.
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 programme – designed to offer free lunches to 80 million school children – a hallmark of his leadership.
However, a spate of mass food poisoning incidents has led non-governmental organisations to call for a suspension of the programme due to mounting health concerns.
Muhaimin Iskandar, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, indicated on Wednesday that there are no plans to stop it. Victims have reported symptoms including stomach aches, dizziness, nausea, and atypical shortness of breath.
In past food poisoning cases, negligent food preparation has been cited as a major cause. Recent victims consumed meals that included soy sauce chicken and fried tofu, while previous incidents involved expired sauces and unapproved ingredients.
The head of Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana stated that a technical error by the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) resulted in the mass poisoning in Cipongkor last week. The SPPG's operations have since been suspended.
Authorities have acknowledged the seriousness of the misconduct that led to multiple poisoning cases, prompting West Bandung regent Jeje Ritchie Ismail to declare it an extraordinary event to facilitate faster and more effective handling.
Cipongkor has seen the first suspected case of this week’s mass poisoning emerge, escalating the count of victims to approximately 475 students by Monday, eventually increasing to over 500 by Wednesday.
The BGN reported over 4,700 cases of free school lunch poisoning from January to September, with most affecting children on the island of Java. The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) has indicated an increased tally of 6,452 children affected.
This abnormal situation warrants the government to declare an outbreak and temporarily halt the programme for thorough evaluation, stated JPPI National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji. Some have suggested directly distributing funds to parents as an alternative meal preparation method, a proposal that the BGN previously dismissed.
Worldwide, similar programs offering free meals have shown positive outcomes in health, school performance, and attendance, but Indonesia's $28 billion initiative has birthed food safety concerns and public protests.
Initially part of President Prabowo's campaign to tackle child stunting – a condition arising from malnutrition affecting many children in Indonesia – the program, while well-meaning, faces scrutiny for its implementation and the absence of manifest needs for free meals.
Since the program's launch in January, 550,000 students in 26 provinces have benefitted. However, while defenders argue its importance, experts warn about potential corruption stemming from its hefty budget, which could overshadow its intended welfare outcomes.
As Indonesia allocates substantial funding for this initiative, the critical issues of food safety and integrity within the program necessitate urgent governmental actions to restore the confidence of affected families.
