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Food safety concerns linger amid free meals rollout after recent poisoning cases

After at least two food poisoning incidents related to the free nutritious meals program, calls for stricter food safety procedures and monitoring have surfaced from parents and experts alike.

Nur Janti (The Jakarta Post)
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Sun, January 19, 2025

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Food safety concerns linger amid free meals rollout after recent poisoning cases Safety a must: A student receives her prepackaged meal as part of the government's free nutritious meals program at the SD 1 Gagaksipat state elementary school in Boyolali, Central Java, on Jan. 15. The Central Java administration has allocated Rp 67.1 billion from its budget to support the free meals rollout. (Antara/Aloysius Jarot Nugroho)

R

ecent cases of foodborne illnesses surrounding the free nutritious meals program have raised concerns among parents and experts alike, who call for better implementation of food hygiene and safety procedures amid the government’s plan to ramp up the rollout.

At least two food poisoning cases related to the free meals program have arisen in the past week. 

In Sukoharjo, Central Java, 40 students from SD Dukuh 03 state elementary school fell ill after consuming improperly cooked chicken included in lunches prepared by a caterer in a local army base. Meanwhile, dozens of students and some teachers in a state elementary school in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, also reported having diarrhea after eating the prepared meals.

The news about the food poisoning worried Yuyu Wahyu, a 55-year-old father in Bandung, West Java. He said on Saturday that he appreciated the free meals rollout because his son, who goes to Angkasa Senior High School in the city, sometimes goes to school without having breakfast first. 

But now he is concerned about the prepackaged meals from the authorities: “There’s concern that the food might be unhygienic or spoiled.”

However, the recent cases did not cause Yuyu to lose hope in the program. He said that he trusted the teachers or school staff to check the meals before they are distributed to the schoolchildren “to ensure they’re safe to eat”.

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While the school staff in Sukoharjo were quick to call the caterer and local Puskesmas (community health center), they only became aware of the undercooked chicken after several students started vomiting. 

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