Archive · 1 Oct 2025
School Meal Poisoning Sickens Thousands of Indonesian Children
Many kids in Indonesia got sick after eating free lunches at school.
Over 9,000 children were affected between January and September.
The food and drug agency says this is happening because kitchens aren't following food safety rules.
They're letting food sit out too long, storing ingredients the wrong way, and not knowing how to keep food safe.
The government is being asked to improve the program's safety.
The free school meals program is defended by Prabowo Subianto who says only a small percentage is affected.
Over 9,000 Indonesian children suffered food poisoning from free school meals this year.
There were 103 food poisoning cases from January to September.
Food poisoning cases spiked in August.
Problems stemmed from improper food handling in school kitchens.
Lawmakers urged the government to improve food safety standards.
- Who
- Over 9,000 Indonesian children
- What
- Suffered food poisoning after consuming free school meals
- When
- January to September, with a spike in August
- Where
- Indonesia
- Why
- Due to improper storage, cooking, and distribution practices in school kitchens
Health Organizations/Lawmakers
President Prabowo Subianto
Program Safety
Health Organizations/Lawmakers
Want suspension of the free school meals program due to safety concerns.
President Prabowo Subianto
Defends the program, stating the percentage of affected children is small.
- Incident
- Food poisoning from free school meals
- Affected Children
- Over 9,000
- Timeframe
- January to September
- Number of Cases
- 103
- Program
- Free school meals
- Cause
- Improper food handling and kitchen practices
