Loading Curie Briefs...
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Over 500 students in Indonesia's East Java were hospitalized with food poisoning suspected to be linked to the government's flagship free school meals program. Most of the 516 affected students have since been discharged. The incident adds to a growing list of controversies — including corruption and quality violations — plaguing President Prabowo's ambitious anti-malnutrition initiative.
More than 500 students in Indonesia's East Java province were hospitalized Tuesday after suspected food poisoning linked to the country's government-run free school meals program. Most of the 516 students treated in Sidoarjo have since been discharged, and police have collected meal samples as part of an ongoing investigation. Authorities have pointed to improper food storage and late delivery of cooked meals as common culprits in past incidents.
The poisoning is the latest blow to President Prabowo Subianto's multibillion-dollar nutrition initiative, launched to combat childhood under-nutrition by providing free meals to tens of millions of children. The program has been plagued by food safety failures, corruption allegations, leadership shake-ups, and fiscal concerns — with the National Nutrition Agency having already shut down hundreds of kitchens for quality standard violations.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: A program designed to fight malnutrition is now a significant public health risk in its own right. With tens of thousands of poisoning cases reported and public trust eroding, the Indonesian government faces urgent pressure to overhaul food safety standards before the scheme causes further harm.
