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View all search resultsFree meals face seven-day ultimatum, possible lawsuit
The coalition, which includes the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) and Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), urged the government to halt the program’s expansion and immediately undertake comprehensive reforms.
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People take part in a rally demanding an end to the government's free nutritious meal program, following cases of food poisoning, in Yogyakarta, on Sept. 8, 2026. (Reuters/Dwi Oblo)
C
ivil society groups have given the government seven calendar days to overhaul President Prabowo Subianto’s free nutritious meal program, which has been linked to tens of thousands of food poisoning cases nationwide, warning they will pursue legal action if their demands are not met.
Representatives of activist groups under the Save Indonesian Education Coalition went to the headquarters of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the program, in Central Jakarta on Thursday to submit a legal notice against BGN chief Sudaryono over what they described as persistent failures in the implementation of the program.
The same legal notice was also submitted to President Prabowo, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa and House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani.
The coalition, which includes the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) and Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), urged the government to halt the program’s expansion and immediately undertake comprehensive reforms.
“We demand a comprehensive moratorium and evaluation of the program, including for the government to guarantee a full recovery of the victims of foodborne illness [linked to free meals],” LBH Jakarta advocacy head Alif Fauzi Nurwidiastomo told reporters.
Alif said the coalition would pursue any available legal measures, including a citizen lawsuit, if the government failed to comply with its demands within seven calendar days.
Read also: Student suffers memory loss, seizures after free meal food poisoning
