Safety for our kids: People holding placards during a protest against the government’s free meal programme in Jakarta. — Reuters
Riau Islands health authorities will conduct a thorough evaluation of the province’s free nutritious meal programme after multiple food poisoning incidents and the alarming discovery of shards of glass in government-provided meals.
Deputy governor Nyanyang Haris Pratamura said authorities are investigating the incidents and plan to suspend the programme in affected schools until the investigation is complete.
“There are seven schools affected by these incidents.
“We are currently investigating the third-party caterers responsible for preparing the meals, especially in terms of hygiene, food safety and environmental standards,” he said over the weekend.
“Our initial findings point to possible mismanagement within the programme’s operations. The provincial government plans to revise food safety procedures and provide additional training to those responsible for carrying out the initiative,” he added.
On Sept 23, students at SMAN 04 Batam Senior High School in Batam discovered shards of glass in rice served as part of government-provided packaged meals.
Images of the contaminated food quickly spread on social media, sparking widespread concern among parents and the public.
Fortunately, the glass was discovered before students consumed the meals.
Rafael Christian, head of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) that prepared the meals, said the incident occurred when the glass lid of a pan used to fry eggs suddenly shattered during meal preparation.
“We immediately removed the glass shards, discarded the food and checked thoroughly for any remaining pieces,” Rafael said on Sept 26, adding that one of the kitchen staff suffered an arm injury during the incident.
“We deeply regret our negligence and sincerely apologise to the students, the school and the public.
“We are committed to improving our food safety procedures. This has been a valuable lesson for us,” he added.
Just two days after the incident, 13 students from the SMPN 2 Karimun junior high school in Karimun regency exhibited symptoms of food poisoning, including stomach pain, nausea and dizziness, allegedly after consuming spoiled tempeh and stir-fried vegetables provided under the free meals programme.
A day later, nine elementary students from SDN 10 Parit Lapis, also in Karimun regency, experienced similar symptoms after eating government-provided meals that included burgers.
According to local officials, the students reported nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and even shortness of breath.
Currently, there are 127 SPPGs operating across Riau Islands, with the government planning to expand the programme to 253 units to serve the region’s 37,000 students. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
