FILE PHOTO: Protesters hold placards outside the National Nutrition Agency building during a rally demanding an end to the government's free nutritious meal programme, following cases of food poisoning in schools, in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 15, 2025. - Reuters
JAKARTA: Over 1,000 students in Yogyakarta, West Java and East Java have suffered from food poisoning after eating government-provided lunches in recent days, as authorities scramble to tighten food safety in President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free nutritious meal programme.
At least 230 students and teachers from elementary to high schools in Cibodas village, West Bandung regency, West Java, reported symptoms of stomach pain, nausea and dizziness on Tuesday (Oct 28), just hours after eating a meal of rice, fried tempeh, chicken meatballs and stir-fried vegetables.
Local health officials said the victims were rushed to various medical facilities across the regency. Due to the sudden influx of patients, many had to be treated in hallways and on fold-out beds as healthcare facilities struggled to accommodate the surge.
Cibodas village secretary Yuyu Wahyu said the village’s public sports hall had also been converted into a temporary medical facility to treat the affected students. “As of now, 10 people are still being treated at the sports hall, while some have been transferred to local hospitals,” he said on Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
The incident marks the seventh mass food poisoning case linked to the free meals programme in West Bandung regency since the start of the year, bringing the total number of affected people to around 2,000.
On the same day as the food poisoning incident in West Bandung, 695 students and teachers from a vocational school and a junior high school in Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta, also reported symptoms of food poisoning.
The victims experienced diarrhea, vomiting and nausea after consuming packaged meals containing rice, chicken curry, fried tofu and slices of melon. Gunungkidul Regent Endah Subekti confirmed that all affected individuals had received treatment at medical facilities.
“I will summon the caterers responsible for preparing meals in the free meals programme to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,” she said on Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.id.
Authorities noted that a similar food poisoning incident linked to the free meals programme occurred in the regency last month, affecting 19 students. On Oct. 23 and 24, around 245 students from several junior and senior high schools in Banyuwangi fell ill with nausea, fever, diarrhea and vomiting after consuming government-provided meals in two separate food poisoning incidents linked to the free meals programme.
Amir Hidayat, head of the Banyuwangi Health Agency, said authorities had collected samples of the meals, cooking water and kitchen utensils used by the caterers for laboratory testing. “The results showed that the water was contaminated with E. coli bacteria. We also found the same bacteria in the rice and in the stir-fried broccoli, carrots and chicken,” he said on Wednesday.
Amir added that authorities had temporarily closed the two kitchens responsible for preparing the meals pending further evaluation and safety improvements. Since its launch in January, the government’s free meals programme has been plagued by a series of food safety incidents, with more than 13,000 students reported to have suffered food poisoning as of earlier this month.
Amid mounting scrutiny, National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Dadan Hindayana announced on Monday the introduction of a new food safety protocol to be implemented across the more than 12,500 catering services participating in the programme, formally known as Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG).
Under the protocol, SPPG are required to employ certified cooks and adhere to a cap on the number of beneficiaries each unit can serve. They will also be provided with tools to test raw ingredients and finished meals.
Additionally, each SPPG must sterilise food trays and prepare meals using only sterile water, rather than tap water, as many previous food poisoning cases were linked to contaminated water.
To further reduce the risk of spoilage, catering units are no longer allowed to begin meal preparation before midnight the day prior to distribution. The earliest cooking time is now 2 a.m. on the day of distribution, ensuring ingredient freshness and minimising the risk of contamination. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
