Ofure Akhigbe
Indonesia’s ambitious free school lunches programme has come under sharp scrutiny after more than 1,000 children were reported ill this week, the latest in a growing series of food poisoning cases linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative.
Health officials in West Java confirmed that 1,171 students suffered stomach aches, nausea, dizziness and in some cases shortness of breath between Monday and Wednesday. The outbreak followed another wave last week that sickened around 800 students across West Java and Central Sulawesi. Meals served included soy sauce chicken, fried tofu, vegetables and fruit.
The free school lunches scheme, designed to reach 80 million students nationwide, has been promoted by the president as a cornerstone policy to combat stunting and improve nutrition. However, repeated cases of mass poisoning have raised alarm among parents and civil society groups, with some urging the government to suspend the programme for urgent review.
Officials have acknowledged multiple lapses. Last week, Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency admitted that expired ingredients, including sauce and fried shark, were served in some schools. In Cipongkor, West Bandung regent Jeje Ritchie Ismail declared an “extraordinary event” to speed up medical response, while the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit responsible was temporarily suspended.
Despite rising public anger, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar insisted there were “no plans to stop it.” Critics argue the government should declare an outbreak, pointing to official data showing 4,711 poisoning cases from January to 22 September, while the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) places the figure even higher, at 6,452.
The financial scale of the free school lunches programme has also drawn comparisons worldwide. Indonesia set aside more than $10 billion this year alone, with total costs projected at $28 billion – far outpacing India’s $1.5 billion annual spend for 120 million children and Brazil’s similar outlay for 40 million. Supporters credit the programme with boosting Prabowo’s popularity, which soared to 80% in his first 100 days, but critics warn the enormous budget leaves room for corruption and mismanagement.
As more cases of food poisoning surface, debate over the sustainability, safety, and accountability of Indonesia’s free school lunches programme is intensifying, with growing calls for reforms before further harm is done.