Indonesia’s free school lunch program faces mass illness as cases surpass 1,000

More than 1,171 children fell ill from free school lunches in Indonesia between Monday and Wednesday, the latest in a series of mass food-poisoning events linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s nutritious meals program, health officials said on Thursday.

In Cipongkor, West Java, authorities reported about 475 students sick after a Monday meal, with a second spike on Wednesday affecting as many as 500 more in the same district. The week’s tally in Cipongkor alone has surpassed 1,170 cases, highlighting a rapid surge that has prompted officials to step up investigations into meal preparation and distribution.

The incidents follow a prior week during which about 800 students fell ill across West Java and Central Sulawesi, underscoring what authorities describe as a widening pattern of illness associated with the program. Victims have reported stomach aches, dizziness and nausea, with some cases noting shortness of breath, a symptom not typically linked to food poisoning. In total, the outbreaks have cascaded across multiple provinces as the program expands.

The free school lunch initiative is a centerpiece of Prabowo’s leadership, designed to provide free meals to roughly 80 million schoolchildren and funded as a hallmark policy of his government. Officials say the program constitutes one of the costliest social initiatives in the country’s history, with more than $10 billion allocated for the current year. In the first phase, which began in January, the program reached about 550,000 students in 26 provinces. Advocates argue the meals help address malnutrition and support learning; critics warn of safety lapses and the riskier logistics of administering meals at such scale.

Authorities say the latest outbreaks appear linked to preparation and handling at facilities responsible for producing and distributing the meals. The National Nutrition Agency said a technical error by the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) is at the center of Cipongkor’s recent problems, and the unit’s operations in that area have reportedly been suspended as part of a broader review. West Bandung regent Jeje Ritchie Ismail said the outbreak was declared an extraordinary event to enable faster and more comprehensive response actions.

Beyond Cipongkor, data from government agencies and advocacy groups indicate the problem extends nationwide. The National Narcotics Agency reported 4,711 cases of free lunch-related illness from January through Sept. 22, while the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) recorded 6,452 cases as of Sept. 21. Some NGOs have urged authorities to declare an official outbreak and temporarily halt the program to conduct a thorough safety evaluation. Others have proposed redirecting funds directly to parents to allow them to prepare meals, an approach the government has publicly rejected as impractical at scale.

Supporters of the program emphasize its broader developmental aims, noting that free meals have been associated with improvements in health, attendance and academic performance in similar schemes abroad. The country’s price tag for the initiative remains a point of debate, with critics arguing that the budget’s magnitude invites governance risks. Proponents point to the policy’s role in addressing stunting and hunger, while acknowledging the need to strengthen oversight and food-safety protocols as the program expands.

Experts warn that the scale of the budget may create opportunities for corruption if not matched by rigorous monitoring. Muhammad Rafi Bakri, a research analyst at Indonesia’s audit board, cautioned that the sheer size of the program makes robust oversight essential to prevent fraud and misuse of funds. Government officials have pledged to bolster safety controls and governance measures as investigations continue and the program remains in operation.

With additional reporting by Koh Ewe and Hanna Samosir