About 400 children became ill after eating free school meals in western Bengkulu province, in the worst case of mass food poisoning linked to the programme. Authorities have launched an investigation and will temporarily suspend operations at the implicated kitchen while probing weaknesses. The National Nutrition Agency said the kitchen had only recently started operating and asked staff to evaluate services while awaiting test results. Since its January launch, the free school meals programme has expanded to serve over 20 million recipients, with plans to reach 83 million by year-end and a 171 trillion rupiah budget for the year. Previous incidents of food poisoning have already affected hundreds of people.
An investigation has been launched after some 400 children became ill after eating free school meals in Indonesia's western Bengkulu province, in the worst case of mass food poisoning linked to President Prabowo Subianto's flagship food programme to help pregnant women and children. The reports of mass illness on Wednesday came as President Prabowo arrived in Beijing, China, for events commemorating the end of World War II, and days after widespread antigovernment protests rocked cities and towns across Indonesia.
Since its launch, Prabowo's free school meals programme has been rapidly expanded to reach more than 20 million recipients, and authorities plan to reach 83 million recipients by year-end, budgeting a total cost of 171 trillion rupiah ($10.52bn) for the programme this year. The president launched the programme in January, but the initiative had already been marred by food poisoning that affected hundreds of people.
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