JAKARTA – Health-focused non-governmental organisations on Sept 22 called on the Indonesian government to temporarily suspend President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free school meals programme, after the country’s biggest food poisoning outbreak saw 500 children fall sick in recent days.
The US$10 billion (S$13 billion) initiative was launched in January and has already reached more than 20 million recipients, with plans to expand coverage to 83 million women and children by the end of 2025. However, more than 6,452 children nationwide have fallen ill from food poisoning linked to the meals, sparking criticism that the programme suffers from weak oversight and systemic flaws in supply and preparation.
Ubaid Matraji, head of Network for Education Watch (JPPI), told a parliamentary committee that the outbreak reflected a “systemic failure” and urged authorities to stop the programme until stronger safety measures are in place. Six NGOs, including the Centre for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) and the Movement for Mother and Child Health, presented similar concerns.
CISDI analyst Iqbal Hafizon said there is still no government mechanism to evaluate kitchens with food poisoning records or prevent repeat incidents. The organisations also criticised the menus for heavily relying on ultra-processed foods, which they warned undermines the programme’s original goal of improving children’s nutrition.
“The distribution of ultra-processed food has changed the main goal of providing nutritious food and could trigger non-communicable diseases,” said Dr Tan Shot Yen of the Mother and Child Movement, adding that her group supports suspending the programme in affected kitchens.
Deputy parliamentary health committee head Charles Honoris pledged to pass the NGOs’ recommendations to the National Nutrition Agency, which manages the initiative. However, he stressed that the progamme is “strategic” and will continue.
The budget, currently set at 171 trillion rupiah (US$10 billion), is expected to double by 2026. At a news conference on Sept 22, the agency’s head Dadan Hindayana expressed regret over the food poisoning cases and said the government would investigate. He noted that out of one billion portions served so far, 4,711 cases of suspected poisoning had been reported, downplaying the scale relative to the size of the programme.