Food Poisoning Sickens Hundreds of Indonesian Students

Nearly 800 people in Indonesia have fallen ill in separate food poisoning incidents linked to the government's free meals program, including more than 500 students in East Java this week.

President Prabowo Subianto launched the multibillion-dollar scheme last year to combat malnutrition by providing free meals to tens of millions of children. The program has since faced repeated food poisoning outbreaks, corruption allegations and criticism over its cost.

Lawmaker Charles Honoris said 512 students became ill in Sidoarjo, East Java, while another 49 cases were reported in Nganjuk and 237 in Agam, West Sumatra. Citing local health authorities, he described the incidents as a "failure of the system".

The National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the $12.94bn program, suspended the kitchen linked to the Sidoarjo outbreak.

A non-governmental education watchdog says around 37,600 people had been affected by food poisoning linked to the program by 8 August. Authorities have previously blamed improper food storage and delays in delivering cooked meals.

(reuters, est)