Salwa Nur Azmi, an elementary school student getting treatment in a makeshift clinic whilst she is suffering from food poisoning, after eating free meals provided by the government, in Bandung, West Java, on Sept 23, 2025. - AFP
JAKARTA: As food poisoning cases linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal programme continue to spread across the country, public concern is mounting over the government’s insistence on continuing the rollout despite calls for a full pause to allow for investigation and improvements.
Initially launched for around three million students in January, the programme rapidly expanded to reach 30 million recipients nationwide as of September, with an ultimate goal of serving 82.9 million students and pregnant women “who are hoping to get the free meals soon”, to quote the President’s statement last week, despite official reports of over 6,000 foodborne illness cases linked to the multibillion-dollar project.
While the incidents have fuelled calls for a moratorium, the Prabowo administration has dismissed the need for a nationwide halt.
Instead, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the programme, was instructed last week to close only kitchens linked to poisoning cases and continue the rollout under stricter monitoring.
Even under promised tighter supervision involving the Health Ministry and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), cases continue to rise, with nearly 2,000 new incidents recorded in just a week and hot spots shifting from West Java in late September to East Java in early October.
Education watchdog the Indonesian Education Watch Network (JPPI) reported 1,833 cases last week, with East Java topping the list at 620. West Sumatra and Central Kalimantan recorded 122 and 27 cases, respectively, becoming newly affected provinces.
The total number of affected recipients since January has reached around 10,400, the JPPI said.
“This data shows that closing kitchens only after poisoning incidents occur is ineffective. The government must suspend all free meal kitchens before more people fall ill,” JPPI national coordinator Ubaid Matraji said on Monday.
Amid mounting scrutiny, President Prabowo convened a cabinet meeting on Sunday to discuss the free meal programme and instructed the BGN to enhance food safety measures across kitchens, as the programme rollout moves forward.
“Within the coming week, all kitchens must be equipped with testing kits to check food hygiene, hygienic washing and drying equipment with hot water and bacteria-prevention tools, as well as clean water filters,” Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said on Sunday in an official release.
The administration is also preparing a presidential regulation, which, according to BGN head Dadan Hindayana, will define the roles and responsibilities of various government bodies involved in the program.
Dadan said the BGN would serve as the implementing body and conduct interventions and corrective action when necessary, while the Health Ministry will be responsible for oversight. “[Each government body’s] roles will be clearly defined in the regulation so that no institution will be confused about its respective responsibilities,” Dadan said, adding that the regulation should be issued in the coming week.
Also on Monday, a coalition of civil society organisations, including the JPPI, food rights group FIAN, health advocacy group CISDI and anti-corruption watchdogs Indonesia Corruption Watch and Transparency International Indonesia, filed a complaint with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), alleging human rights violations linked to the food poisoning incidents.
“Since the number of victims continues to rise, [the free meals program] could even constitute a criminal offense,” FIAN Indonesia national coordinator Marthin Hadiwinata said.
“There have also been reports of communities, families and schools being pressured not to file complaints or protest over the negative side effects of the free meals.”
The coalition called on Komnas HAM to launch a full and transparent investigation and release findings within the next two weeks, so corrective measures can be taken before more victims emerge.
Komnas HAM commissioner Atnike Nova Sigiro, in response, said the state must take responsibility for the incidents, which could constitute a gross rights violation if the government fails to act promptly to ensure the public’s right to safe and high-quality food.
“We will issue our recommendations once we have verified the facts behind these cases, though we cannot say how long that will take as there are procedures to follow. But, in the meantime, we will continue to urge relevant government bodies to resolve the issue promptly,” she added. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
