Key facts
- Over 500 students in Indonesia's East Java were hospitalized due to suspected food poisoning.
- The illness is believed to be linked to state-supplied meals.
- Police have collected samples from the meals for investigation.
- The incident occurs amid ongoing reforms and previous controversies surrounding the government's free-meals program.
More than 500 students in Indonesia's East Java region were hospitalized on Tuesday, with officials suspecting the cause to be food poisoning from state-supplied meals. East Java deputy governor Emil Dardak stated that the National Nutrition Agency, which manages President Prabowo Subianto's ambitious free-meals program, is investigating the incident.
Subandi, the head of the local government in Sidoarjo, reported that most of the 516 students treated have been discharged. Police have collected meal samples as part of their investigation. This event is the latest in a series of controversies plaguing the program, which aims to eradicate under-nutrition but has been marred by food poisoning incidents, corruption allegations, and leadership changes.
Authorities have previously attributed food poisoning cases to improper food storage and late delivery of meals. The National Nutrition Agency has been undergoing reforms, including shutting down hundreds of kitchens for quality standard violations. The program's cost has also raised concerns among investors about its impact on the national fiscal deficit, with a recent survey indicating low public satisfaction largely due to reported poisoning cases.