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View all search resultsGovt insists on keeping free meals program running
The government insists on keeping the free nutritious meal program running and will only close problematic kitchens temporarily for investigation, despite numbers of food poisoning cases continuing to increase among school students.
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Packing health: Officials prepare free nutritious meal packages on Aug. 27 at the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) Samarinda Ulu 2 in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. According to data as of Aug. 15, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has established 5,885 SPPG units and served 20.5 million beneficiaries with meals distributed across Indonesia.
(Antara/M Risyal Hidayat)
T
he government insists on keeping the free nutritious meals program running and will only close problematic kitchens temporarily for investigation, despite numbers of food poisoning cases continuing to increase among school students.
Over the past few weeks, more than a thousand students in various provinces have reportedly fallen ill after consuming the free meals from President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program, with many hospitalized after experiencing severe nausea, seizures and loss of consciousness.
As of Sunday, education watchdog the Network for Education Watch Indonesia (JPPI) recorded some 8,649 kids had experienced poisoning. The Health Ministry, meanwhile, recorded over 5,200 victims as of mid-September.
The figures marked a drastic spike from the few hundred cases reported up to July, before the start of the new school year in August. The free meals program started in January.
The spike in cases has since drawn scrutiny from health groups and education watchdogs, with some calling for a temporary suspension of the program to prevent more cases and to allow for a “total evaluation”.
The President said he was well aware of the food poisoning incidents and that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which is in charge of the program, and related ministries would work on the solution.
“This is a big [program], so there will definitely be shortcomings from the start. But I’m also confident that we will resolve these [food poisoning] issues well,” Prabowo told reporters at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta on Saturday after arriving from his week-long visit to four countries.
