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View all search resultsNegligence blamed for free meal poisoning that sickened 350 students
The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) said a total of 40,759 students, teachers, pregnant women and toddlers had fallen ill after consuming meals provided under the program since its launch.
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A schoolchild is treated in a hospital in Jakarta on April 4, 2026, after consuming a packaged meal prepared under the free nutritious meal program. (Antara/Fakhri Hermansyah)
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egligence has been blamed for yet another mass food poisoning incident linked to the government’s flagship free nutritious meal program in North Sumatra, where more than 350 students fell ill last week.
Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Sudaryono said an initial investigation found that the incident was caused by the kitchen’s failure to properly store fish served to students that day.
“Most of the fish had been stored in the freezer, but around 200 to 300 fish were left out. They were kept at room temperature for about 12 hours,” Sudaryono said on Sunday as quoted by Kompas.com.
Sudaryono described the failure to refrigerate the fish as serious negligence and said those responsible should be held accountable.
“Why would you leave fresh fish out like that? I consider that reckless and negligent. You might call it a mistake, but when it concerns someone’s life, such negligence can have life-and-death consequences,” he said.
Sudaryono said the kitchen responsible for preparing the meals had been suspended, and its head dismissed from the position. He said the decision should serve as a warning to other kitchen heads to carry out their duties with greater care.
“If a kitchen head is unable to do the job properly, then step down rather than put someone’s life at risk,” he said, as quoted by Detik.com.
