Nearly 400 children have fallen ill after eating free school meals in Indonesia’s western province of Bengkulu, the largest outbreak of food poisoning linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship food program.
Reuters reports this.
In January 2025, Prabowo launched a free food program for children and pregnant women, but its implementation was overshadowed by mass cases of food poisoning in various regions of the archipelago, affecting hundreds of people.
Last month, 365 people in Central Java fell ill after eating free school lunches, with lab results pointing to sanitation problems, local media reported.
According to a video released by local authorities, children aged between 4 and 12 were rushed to hospital in Bengkulu on August 28 with complaints of stomach pain. The vice governor of Mian province said an investigation would be conducted into the cause of the incident.
Since its inception, the program has expanded rapidly and has already reached 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 purpose.
Source: suspilne.media