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View all search resultsBGN denies free meals linked to student death in Bengkulu
The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has rejected claims that an elementary school student’s death in Bengkulu was linked to the government’s free meals program, as the initiative faces mounting scrutiny over mass food poisoning incidents and potential corruption concerns.
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Free ailment: A woman watches over her son on Oct. 2, 2025, at Lubuk Basung Regional General Hospital in Agam, West Sumatra, who had received treatment for a foodborne illness allegedly contracted after consuming food provided through the free nutritious meal program. According to official data as of on Oct. 1, at least 86 students in Lubuk Basung were believed to have fallen ill from eating meals distributed via the nationwide program, prompting local authorities to issue an “extraordinary incident” (KLB) alert.
(Antara/Iggoy el Fitra)
T
he National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has rejected claims of links to an elementary school student’s death in Bengkulu with the government’s free nutritious meal program, as the initiative faces mounting scrutiny over mass food poisoning incidents and potential corruption concerns.
BGN deputy head Nanik Sudaryati Deyang said in a statement on Tuesday that the student had yet to consume food under the program before collapsing and being rushed to a nearby hospital.
She cited laboratory tests conducted by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), which found no contamination, such as E. coli, borax, formalin, nitrite, arsenic or cyanide, in food samples from the day of the incident.
Medical examinations revealed that the student suffered a brain hemorrhage, Nanik went on to say, adding that the condition was confirmed through a CT scan at Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Bengkulu.
The boy was later referred for specialized surgery but died about 12 hours after the operation. She noted that no similar health problems were reported among the roughly 1,800 other free meal program recipients from a similar kitchen.
Read also: KPK to map potential graft risks in free meal program
“Out of 1,800 beneficiaries, there have been no reports of similar incidents. This is the only case, and medically, it was found to involve a brain hemorrhage,” Nanik emphasized.
