Hundreds of people affected by food poisoning in Indonesia

• More than 360 people were hospitalized after consuming school meals.
• The program of free school meals covers more than 15 million children.
• The government will cover medical expenses for those affected by the poisoning.

In the Indonesian city of Sragen, located in Central Java, more than 360 people were hospitalized after consuming free school meals. This is the largest case of food poisoning that has occurred within the framework of the free school meals program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto.

Since the launch of the program in January, more than 1000 people across the country have been affected by food poisoning. The head of the Sragen government, Sigit Pamungkas, reported that samples are currently being tested in the laboratory. According to him, the government will cover any medical expenses deemed necessary.

A ninth-grade student, Rizdan Ridho Abiman, recounted that he fell ill after eating a meal at school. He also experienced severe abdominal pain and diarrhea, which, in his opinion, was caused by food poisoning, as his classmates also reported similar symptoms on social media.

Reportedly, the contaminated meal consisted of chicken rice with turmeric, omelet, fried tempeh, salad with cucumbers and a salad with avocado, as well as milk boxes that were prepared in the central kitchen and distributed to several schools. "We temporarily requested to stop the distribution from this kitchen until the results of laboratory tests are ready," noted Sigit.

The national food agency, which oversees this program, has tightened the standards for kitchen operations and deliveries following previous cases of food poisoning. The free school meals program has rapidly expanded, reaching more than 15 million recipients, and the government plans to cover 83 million by the end of the year, having allocated 171 trillion rupiah (10.62 billion USD) for this purpose.

In one of the incidents in West Java, over 200 students were hospitalized, and laboratory tests revealed that the food was contaminated with Salmonella and E. coli bacteria.

Tags: Well-being