Over 360 people have fallen ill in Sragen, a town in Central Java, Indonesia, after eating free school lunches, officials confirmed on Thursday.
Authorities say it is the largest food poisoning incident linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals initiative.
Launched in January, the nationwide program has already faced several mass food poisoning outbreaks, with more than 1,000 people affected in various regions.
Sragen government chief Sigit Pamungkas told Reuters that 365 people became sick, and food samples from the incident have been sent for laboratory testing.
He added that the government would cover any necessary medical expenses.
One of the affected students, Wizdan Ridho Abimanyu, a ninth grader at Gemolong 1 Middle School, recounted his experience. “I was woken at night by sharp pain in my stomach,” he said.
He also suffered a headache and diarrhoea, later suspecting food poisoning after noticing similar complaints from classmates on social media.
The meal suspected to have caused the outbreak consisted of turmeric rice, omelette ribbons, fried tempeh, cucumber and lettuce salad, sliced apple, and a box of milk.
The food was prepared in a central kitchen before being distributed to multiple schools.
“We have asked to temporarily stop the food distribution from that kitchen until the lab results are back,” Sigit stated.
According to the head of the National Nutrition Agency overseeing the initiative, Dadan Hindayana, stricter kitchen operation and delivery standards have been enforced following previous incidents.
The program has so far reached over 15 million recipients, with a target of 83 million by the end of the year. The government has allocated 171 trillion rupiah ($10.62 billion) for its implementation in 2025.
In a similar case in May in West Java, more than 200 students were sickened, and lab results showed the food had been contaminated with Salmonella and E. coli, local media reported.
