Indonesian families call for halt to Prabowo’s free meal program after 6,400 fall ill from food poisoning

JAKARTA, Oct 3 — Indonesian families whose children fell sick after eating free school meals have joined non-profit organisations in urging the suspension of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship food programme, after thousands of poisoning cases were reported.

The crisis escalated last week in West Bandung, Java, where more than 1,300 children were rushed to clinics with breathing problems, nausea and diarrhoea, local media reported.

Prabowo’s initiative was designed to tackle child malnutrition, but instead dozens of production kitchens have been shut down.

“This programme should be stopped and replaced with cash,” said Aminah, a 50-year-old grandmother whose seven-year-old grandson became ill. “I’d rather the kids bring their own food from home.”

Launched in January, the scheme has already seen over 6,400 people affected by food poisoning, according to the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). Activists warn the true figure may be higher due to the lack of a public reporting system.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Diah Satyani Saminarsih, founder of the Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives, adding that the programme’s rapid expansion was a key factor.

Originally planned to reach 83 million beneficiaries by 2029, the government has fast-tracked the target to 2025. Kitchens increased from about 1,000 in April to more than 9,600 by September, with recipients growing tenfold to 31 million in the same period.

BGN chair Dadan Hindayana admitted many incidents occurred in newly opened kitchens with inexperienced staff, citing poor raw materials, water quality and breaches of safety standards.

The government has allocated 71 trillion rupiah (US$4.2 billion) for the programme in 2025, with an additional 28 trillion rupiah requested. Prabowo defended the initiative this week, saying food poisoning cases were minimal compared with the vast number of meals served, estimating errors at “0.00017 percent.”

Still, researchers and watchdog groups insist the programme must be halted immediately.

“It’s urgent this scheme be suspended given the number of victims,” said Izzudin Al Farras of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance.

“We cannot wait until there are deaths,” warned Ubaid Matraji of the Network for Education Watch.

So far, 56 kitchens have been suspended as part of an ongoing evaluation.

“The safety of children remains our top priority,” said agency deputy chair Nanik S. Deyang. — AFP