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View all search resultsMass food poisoning strikes again as opposition to free meals program grows
Calls by parents, rights groups and students to halt the government's free nutritious meals program have intensified following the series of food-poisoning incidents. Some schools have also suspended or declined to participate in the program over food-safety concerns.
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Students rest Sept. 2 while receiving treatment for food poisoning at the regional general hospital after eating government-sponsored free school meals in Sidoarjo, East Java. (Reuters/Suryanto)
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lmost 200 students in North and West Sumatra experienced food poisoning on Monday after consuming meals provided under the free nutritious meal program, as opposition to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative grows among students and parents.
Thirty-six students at the SMK Negeri 1 Merdeka vocational high school in Karo regency developed symptoms on Monday after eating a government-provided meal of rice, spicy tilapia, crispy tempeh, stir-fried papaya and snake fruit, local authorities said.
The students complained of stomach pain and difficulty breathing and were taken to hospital.
On the same day, 30 students at the MTsN 2 Asahan Islamic junior high school in neighboring Asahan regency also fell ill after consuming meals provided under the program. The meal consisted of rice, chicken rendang, tempeh, cucumber and carrot pickle and watermelon.
Thirteen of the students were still receiving inpatient treatment at a local hospital as of Tuesday.
Investigations are under way to determine the cause of the incidents. The kitchens responsible for preparing the meals have been suspended pending the results of the investigations, authorities said.
The latest cases came about a month after 353 students at SMA Negeri 1 Berastagi and Yayasan Bersama high schools in Karo regency fell ill in another food-poisoning incident involving meals distributed under the program.
