Nearly 400 children have been poisoned after a free school lunch at a school in the western province of Bengkulu in Indonesia. This is the largest case of mass food poisoning linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship food program. This is reported by Reuters.
Prabovo introduced the free food program for children and pregnant women in January 2025. However, its implementation has already been overshadowed by numerous cases of poisoning in various regions of the archipelago, where hundreds of people were injured.
Last month in Central Java, 365 people fell ill after a free school lunch. According to local media, laboratory studies have shown problems with compliance with sanitary standards. On August 28, children aged 4 to 12 were hospitalized en masse in Bengkula with complaints of abdominal pain.
“We will temporarily suspend the operation of this kitchen while we investigate where the deficiencies lie. This is the scope of the investigation team of the National Agency for Food and Power,” said the vice governor of Mian province.
Despite the challenges, the program is expanding rapidly, reaching more than 20 million people. By the end of the year, the government plans to increase the number of participants to 83 million, allocating $10.52 billion for this.
