Nearly 2,000 fall ill in suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia’s free school meals program
Nearly 2,000 students and teachers across Indonesia fell ill due to suspected food poisoning linked to the government's flagship Free Nutritious Meals program. The incidents have prompted investigations and raised concerns regarding the safety and management of the multibillion-dollar initiative.
Why it matters
The widespread illness poses a significant political and logistical challenge to the Indonesian government's signature social welfare program.
Nearly 2,000 people, most of them students, fell ill in suspected food poisoning outbreaks linked to President Prabowo Subianto ’s flagship Free Nutritious Meals program this week, raising fresh concerns about food safety as the government rapidly expands the multibillion-dollar initiative nationwide, officials said Saturday (September 5, 2026).
The incidents, reported between Tuesday and Thursday in East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh and South Sulawesi, affected about 1,950 students, teachers and Islamic boarding school pupils who became sick after consuming meals distributed under the government program, known by its Indonesian acronym MBG.
The outbreaks are the latest setback for Prabowo’s signature free meals program, which has been rolled out across the archipelago despite repeated food poisoning incidents and corruption allegations.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in