Indonesia Free Meals Program Linked to Over 1,700 Poisoning Cases

More than 1,700 Indonesian students and teachers have been sickened by food poisoning in a series of incidents linked to the government's free meals program this week, with the latest outbreak affecting hundreds in Central Java. The cases, which occurred in multiple provinces, have intensified scrutiny of the costly national initiative launched to improve child nutrition. The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday at a senior high school in Lasem, Central Java, where 752 students and 25 teachers fell ill with diarrhoea and vomiting after consuming grilled chicken provided by the program. The school's principal, Juhartutik, said a food taster had noted some of the chicken was "slimy" before distribution, though those portions were reportedly set aside. A local doctor, Joko Paryanto, confirmed that 15 of the victims were hospitalized. This outbreak followed other cases earlier in the week. On Tuesday, 664 students in Sidoarjo, East Java, were affected, according to local official Herawati Yuwantina.