Indonesian officials suspect food poisoning from free school meal after more than 500 fall ill

More than 500 students ​in Indonesia's East Java were hospitalised with food poisoning suspected ​to have been caused by free meals ‌provided ​by the government, and an investigation is underway, national and regional officials said on Wednesday.

President Prabowo Subianto launched his multibillion-dollar programme last year to eradicate under-nutrition by giving free meals to tens ‌of millions of children, but the scheme has suffered from controversies such as food poisoning, corruption allegations, leadership changes and a burdensome price tag. In East Java's Sidoarjo region, 512 students fell ill after lunch on Tuesday, said Ketut Sumedana, an official at the National Nutrition Agency which ‌oversees the meals programme. A regional official had earlier said 516 students were affected.

"What we're focused on now is saving ‌our children's health across some hospitals," Ketut said in a video statement, noting that about 80 children were still being treated on Wednesday. He said a kitchen suspected to be the source of the outbreak had been suspended from the meals programme for 30 days, and an investigation was underway.

"We will announce the ⁠results, ​what caused the poisoning," he said. Deputy East ⁠Java Governor Emil Dardak said the kitchen had supplied meals to an Islamic boarding school.

There have been cases of mass food poisoning linked to ⁠the free-meals scheme. Non-governmental watchdog Network for Education Watch said that as of August 8, there had been some 37,600 cases of food poisoning linked to ​the programme. Improper food storage and late delivery of cooked meals are often to blame for the food poisoning, authorities ⁠have said.

REFORMS TO FLAGSHIP SCHEME The poisoning comes as the new head of the National Nutrition Agency has vowed to reform the programme. It has shut down ⁠hundreds ​of kitchens that provide the meals for reasons including violations of quality standards.

The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the mass illness in Sidoarjo. The agency has been through a number of recent changes in leadership, including ⁠one forced by the arrest of its then head in June on corruption allegations, and the government has reduced the scope of ⁠the scheme.

Investors have been ⁠concerned about the programme's cost leading to a larger national fiscal deficit. In July, a survey by pollster Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting showed only one-third of people were satisfied with the scheme, with ‌the reported cases ‌of poisoning cited as a major reason.

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