Key Development

More than 1,000 children in Indonesia’s West Java province fell ill this week after consuming school lunches or free school meals supplied under President Prabowo Subianto’s free meals programme, officials reported. The outbreak affected four districts and sparked urgent calls from non-governmental organisations to temporarily suspend the programme due to health and food safety concerns.

Follow-Up to Previous Incidents

This latest outbreak comes shortly after 800 students fell sick last week in West Java and Central Sulawesi under the same programme. Governor Dedi Mulyadi said that over 470 students in West Bandung became ill on Monday, followed by three additional outbreaks on Wednesday, including in Sukabumi, which affected at least 580 children. Hospitals in the area struggled to treat the large number of patients, and authorities converted a local sports hall into a temporary treatment centre to handle the surge.

Food Safety and Oversight Concerns

Officials and experts are raising serious concerns about food safety standards and oversight in the programme. Since its launch in January, the initiative has grown rapidly, reaching more than 20 million students, with a target of feeding 83 million Indonesians by the end of the year. Its 171 trillion rupiah ($10.2 billion) budget is slated to double next year.

Governor Dedi Mulyadi of West Java said logistical challenges contributed to the outbreaks. Kitchens had to prepare too many meals and were located far from the schools, forcing staff to cook food very early, sometimes the night before it was served. Meals were often packed while still warm, which caused them to spoil. These factors reveal serious lapses in food handling, storage, and distribution, all critical to maintaining proper food safety.

In response, the National Nutrition Agency suspended kitchens connected to the poisoning cases, while Prabowo’s office has yet to comment. Since the programme began, at least 6,452 children nationwide have suffered from foodborne illness linked to school meals, according to the think tank Network for Education Watch.

Health Emergency Declared

The West Bandung local government declared a health emergency to manage the crisis, allowing officials to allocate funds to treat affected students and prevent further incidents. Governor Mulyadi stressed that authorities must review programme management, improve food handling practices, and address the trauma experienced by the students. Ensuring proper hygiene, storage, and cooking standards remains critical to safeguarding children’s health.

Source: DD News