Post by : Raina
Al-Fahim
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Officials are investigating a large foodborne illness outbreak that left almost 700 schoolchildren unwell in Yogyakarta province, authorities said on Thursday. The cases are linked to meals distributed under the government’s free school meal initiative launched in January.
Regional chief Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih posted that about 660 pupils at two schools in Gunungkidul district experienced symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea after eating the provided lunches, and many required medical attention.
Dadan Hindayana, head of the national nutrition agency (BGN) overseeing the scheme, said nearby kitchens have been temporarily closed while investigators examine the cause. Officials noted that past incidents have been tied to poor storage and delayed distribution, raising questions about food-safety controls across the programme’s network of roughly 11,000 kitchens.
The free school meal scheme aims to reach 70 million children by the end of 2025 but has not hit an earlier goal of 83 million beneficiaries because of logistical hurdles. Civil society groups such as JPPI have urged a pause to the programme until safety measures are reinforced.
President Prabowo has appointed a ministerial team including the health minister and the BGN chief to strengthen oversight and ensure meals are safe. BGN has also instructed kitchen staff to cut portion sizes to help preserve freshness and reduce contamination risk.
The government budgeted 171 trillion rupiah ($10.3 billion) for the programme this year, though officials say only about 99 trillion rupiah is likely to be spent by year-end due to operational limits. Authorities stressed that protecting children’s health remains the primary concern as the scheme continues.
The incident underlines the challenge of scaling welfare programmes while maintaining strict food-safety standards to protect young beneficiaries across Indonesia.
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