Over 360 Fall Sick In Indonesia’s Largest School Lunch Food Poisoning Case

 

More than 360 students and residents in Sragen, Central Java, have fallen ill after eating free school lunches, in what officials say is the largest food poisoning incident linked to Indonesia’s flagship free meals program.

Sragen government chief Sigit Pamungkas confirmed that 365 people reported symptoms and said food samples have been sent for laboratory testing. The government has pledged to cover any medical costs for those affected.

The suspected meal—turmeric rice, omelette ribbons, fried tempeh, cucumber and lettuce salad, sliced apple, and a box of milk—was prepared in a central kitchen and distributed to multiple schools.

“We have asked to temporarily stop food distribution from that kitchen until the lab results are back,” Sigit said.

Wizdan Ridho Abimanyu, a ninth grader at Gemolong 1 Middle School, described being woken at night by severe stomach pain, headache, and diarrhea. He realized it was likely food poisoning after seeing similar complaints from classmates on social media.

This is the latest in a string of mass food poisoning incidents since the free meals program launched in January. The initiative, part of President Prabowo Subianto’s signature policies, has already served more than 15 million recipients and aims to reach 83 million by the end of the year, with a budget of 171 trillion rupiah ($10.62 billion).

The National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the program, said kitchen and delivery standards have been tightened following earlier cases. In May, more than 200 students in West Java fell ill after eating contaminated school meals, with lab tests detecting Salmonella and E. coli bacteria.

Authorities are awaiting test results to confirm the cause of the Sragen outbreak before resuming meal distribution from the affected kitchen.