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View all search resultsOver 450 students in Bengkulu fall ill after eating free school meals
Since its launch in January, the free school meals program has been marred by mass food poisoning cases across the country, affecting thousands of students.
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A student of state junior high school (SMPN) 1 Denpasar in Bali shows a variety of food received as part of the government free meals program on March 17, 2025. (Antara/Fikri Yusuf)
M
ore than 450 students and teachers in Lebong regency, Bengkulu, have fallen ill after consuming meals provided under the government's free nutritious meal program, marking the latest in a series of food poisoning incidents linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative.
The victims, who were from kindergartens, elementary schools and junior high schools in the regency, began experiencing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and fatigue shortly after eating a packaged meal on Wednesday morning. The meal reportedly consisted of noodles, meatballs, vegetables, eggs and milk.
Lebong Police spokesperson Second Adj. Insp. Syaiful Anwar said the number of reported cases had reached 456 as of Thursday afternoon.
“Of those, 119 were hospitalized, while the rest received outpatient treatment,” he said on Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
The surge in patients has overwhelmed Dr. Eni Efriyani Regional General Hospital in Lebong, where most of the affected students were treated. Due to limited capacity, many victims had to be accommodated in hallways and the hospital’s multipurpose hall.
In response, the Lebong Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) deployed additional beds to the hospital, while the local health agency supplied emergency medications and medical equipment to support the sudden influx of patients.
Bengkulu Governor Helmi Hasan has called on all medical personnel across the province to be on standby and assist in handling the mass food poisoning incident.
