Over 500 Indonesian students food poisoned by state meal program

MGR Online•International•14d ago

Reader Briefing

More than 500 students in East Java, Indonesia, were hospitalized for food poisoning suspected to be caused by a government free meal program.

•Over 500 students in Sidoarjo district, East Java, fell ill on Tuesday.
•The National Nutrition Agency is investigating if the school lunches caused the poisoning.
•The Network for Education Watch reported approximately 37,600 poisoning cases linked to the program as of August 8.
•The free meal program was launched by President Prabowo Subianto last year to combat malnutrition.

•More than 500 students in Sidoarjo, East Java, fell ill on Tuesday and were reported by regional officials on Wednesday, September 2.
•Subandi, a local administrator in Sidoarjo, stated that most of the 516 treated students have been allowed to return home.
•Police have collected food samples for investigation to determine the cause of the poisoning.
•Officials stated that food poisoning in this program often results from unhygienic storage and delays in delivering cooked food.
•President Prabowo Subianto launched a multi-billion dollar free meal program last year to eliminate malnutrition for tens of millions of children.
•A July survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting showed only one-third of the public is satisfied with the program, citing food poisoning cases.
•The National Nutrition Agency has faced multiple leadership changes, including the arrest of a former head in June on corruption charges.
•The new head of the National Nutrition Agency has ordered the closure of hundreds of kitchens due to various reasons including quality standard violations.

Full article content is available on the original source.

East Java(ชวาตะวันออก)ℹ️

A province in Indonesia where students suffered food poisoning.

Indonesia(อินโดนีเซีย)ℹ️

The country where the free meal program is being implemented.

Sidoarjo(ซีโดอาร์โจ)ℹ️

A district in East Java where the students fell ill.

Prabowo Subianto(ปราโบโว ซูเบียนโต)ℹ️

The President who launched the multi-billion dollar free meal program last year.

Emil Dardak(เอมิล ดาร์ดัก)ℹ️

The Deputy Governor of East Java.

Subandi(สุบันดี)

A local administrator in Sidoarjo district.

Kompas TVℹ️

A news station that interviewed Emil Dardak.

National Nutrition Agency(สำนักงานโภชนาการแห่งชาติ)ℹ️

The agency overseeing the free meal program that is currently investigating the food poisoning.

Network for Education Watch(เครือข่ายเฝ้าระวังการศึกษา)

An NGO that reported approximately 37,600 poisoning cases linked to the meal program as of August 8.

Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting(ไซฟุล มูจานี รีเสิร์ช แอนด์ คอนซัลติ้ง)

A polling company that conducted a survey in July regarding public satisfaction with the meal program.

Free Meal Program(โครงการอาหารฟรี)

A government initiative to combat malnutrition by providing free meals to millions of children.