Indonesia faces calls to halt free meals program as over 5,000 school children fall ill

BANDUNG, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s government was facing calls on Thursday to suspend President Prabowo Subianto ’s multi-billion-dollar free meals program after thousands of school pupils fell ill in an food poisoning outbreak.

Television reports showed hospital wards filled with children, with some crying in pain and clutching their stomachs, while police and health workers carried away other victims in ambulances, vans and trucks.

The Free Nutritious Meal program was started in January with the aim of fighting malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million children and pregnant women. The initiative, which is expected to cost $28 billion through 2029, delivers on a campaign promise by Subianto, who was elected last year, which has more than 282 million people and Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

The National Nutrition Agency recorded about 1,376 cases of school-linked food poisoning cases between January and the end of June. The number of students affected rose to 4,711 this week, with more than 1,000 victims reported in hardest hit West Java province alone.

Agency chief Dadan Hindayana said kitchens with poisoning cases had been suspended and local governments had set up task forces of nutritionists and health workers to supervise the free meals.

“The total number of food poisonings was only 4,711 portions out of 1 billion portions cooked during the 9-month program,” Hindayana said. “Of course this can still be improved.”

Muhammad Qodari, head of the Presidential Staff Office, said Thursday that several government institutions have identified more than 5,000 food poisoning victims linked to the school meals program. The Ministry of Health recorded 5,207 cases, and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency reported 5,320, he said.

Dedi Mulyadi, the governor of West Java, said more than 470 students fell sick in Bandung on Monday after eating the free lunches, and three more outbreaks were reported on Wednesday in the Sukabumi region, affecting at least 580 children. Several hundreds of sick children were also reported from other areas in the province on Thursday, bringing the total victims to at least 1,775.

He said students suffering from the disease complained of shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness and severe stomach pain.

The Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives said the latest data suggests the number of reported cases represent “a tip of the iceberg”.

Diah Saminarsih, chief executive of the non-profit organization, said: “The true number of cases is suspected to be significantly higher as many are reluctant to report what really happened. We call to suspend the program due to health concern.”

The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, a watchdog group, said the free meals program had failed.

“We call on President Prabowo Subianto to temporarily halt the free meal program and conduct a thorough evaluation,” said Ubaid Matraji, the group coordinator. “Child safety must be placed above the government’s political goals.”

Mulyadi said: “We must evaluate those running the programs that have caused health concerns and traumatize of children. At this time, ensuring children are well cared for is our priority. We are also facing on how to deal with the students’ trauma after eating the food.”

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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia