An Indonesian government agency running President Prabowo Subianto’s massive free meals programme said its lack of oversight led to a recent outbreak of food poisoning among thousands of school children.
Concerns have mounted over the standards and supervision of the multi-billion-dollar initiative.
Nearly 6,000 people have fallen ill after eating the free lunches since the programme’s January roll-out, government data showed, including more than 1,000 children in the country’s West Java province last week.
Nanik Deyang, the National Nutrition Agency’s deputy head, apologised for the recent cases, breaking down in tears.
“Our biggest mistake is... our lack of oversight,” she said, adding that the agency takes full responsibility. “The recent cases... were because our partners and our internal teams did not follow the right standard operating procedures.”
Inconsistent cooking times contributed to the poisoning, she said, adding that the agency would step up supervision.
Processed foods have been banned from the lunches, and kitchens lacking proper health certification will be shut down by next month, she said.
The West Java cases were linked to kitchens using spoiled food, and Nanik noted a shortage of nutritionists across the archipelago.
Investigations into the poisoning cases have started, involving food regulators and the police, Nanik added. — Reuters
