In Indonesia, 800 people poisoned by free meals funded by the president

In Indonesia, nearly 800 people have fallen ill in food poisoning cases linked to the government's free meal program. This was reported by a member of the parliamentary commission overseeing health issues. More than 500 of those poisoned this week are school students in East Java province.

President Prabovo Subianto launched a multi-billion dollar program in 2025 to address malnutrition by providing free meals to tens of millions of children. However, this project has faced problems such as mass poisonings, corruption allegations, leadership changes, and high costs.

Representative Charles Honoris, a member of parliament from the sole opposition political party, announced on his Instagram page on September 2 that 512 students in the Sidoarjo region of East Java, 49 people in Nganjuk, and 237 people in the Agam region of West Sumatra were poisoned.

Charles cited these figures based on data from the local health department. He emphasized that these cases were not coincidental.

"This is a failure of the entire system," he said.

The National Food Agency, which oversees the $12.94 billion program, did not immediately comment on the MP's post. On September 2, the agency suspended the operations of the kitchen involved in the poisoning case in Sidoarjo.

Mass poisonings related to the free meal program have been recorded several times in the country. According to the non-governmental organization Network for Education Watch, as of August 8, 37,600 people had suffered from poisoning. Officials say that improper food storage and delayed delivery of prepared meals are the causes of poisoning in most cases.

According to a survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting in July, only a third of the population is satisfied with this program. Poisoning cases are cited as the main reason for people's dissatisfaction.