The New Indian Express ·
Nearly 2,000 fall ill in suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia's free school meals program
JAKARTA: Nearly 2,000 people, most of them students, fell ill in suspected food poisoning outbreaks linked to President Prabowo Subianto 's flagship Free Nutritious Meals program this week, raising fresh concerns about food safety as the government rapidly expands the multibillion-dollar initiative nationwide, officials said Saturday.
The incidents, reported between Tuesday and Thursday in East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh and South Sulawesi, affected about 1,950 students, teachers and Islamic boarding school pupils who became sick after consuming meals distributed under the government program, known by its Indonesian acronym MBG.
The outbreaks are the latest setback for Prabowo's signature free meals program, which has been rolled out across the archipelago despite repeated food poisoning incidents and corruption allegations.
