HUNDREDS of people have suffered severe food poisoning in just days after eating government-issued free meals.

More than 1,700 students and teachers in Indonesia fell ill in just three days after eating free school meals.

Students on mats receiving aid from volunteers after suspected food poisoning.Several people were hospitalised due to food poisoning from the free meals Credit: EPA Students receiving IV drips after suspected food poisoning.In the last week, there have been at least three outbreaks of food poisoning related to the scheme in the last week Credit: EPA

There have been three outbreaks of food poisoning this week related to President Prabowo Subianto’s scheme.

Juhartutik, school principal of a senior high school in Lasem said 777 pupils and staff who ate the government-issued free meals had contracted food poisoning.

He added that since Wednesday, they have been suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting.

The sick had eaten grilled chicken which was described as “slimy” by a food taster.

Juhartutik said: “The slimy ones had already been set aside… The kitchen operator said the food was cooked at 3 am and it was eaten at noon.”

15 students and teachers were hospitalised for their food poisoning, according to Joko Paryanto, a local doctor who treated the victims.

A further 566 students fell ill and 88 were hospitalised on Tuesday after eating free meals in Sidoarjo, East Java.

On Wednesday, officials suspended the kitchen linked to the case.

Elsewhere in East Java, 49 students in Nganjuk became sick on Wednesday after eating fried rice, chicken and tofu from the programme.

The food poisoning outbreaks usually stem from poor food storage and late deliveries of cooked meals.

A female student lies on a cot while medical personnel attend to her.The scheme has been plagued with food poisoning outbreaks Credit: EPA Patients receiving emergency care for suspected food poisoning at a health facility in Sidoarjo, Indonesia.Several NGO’s and groups have called for the program to be shut down Credit: REUTERS

During a parliamentary hearing, the National Nutrition Agency said the cases would be handled “seriously.”

President Prabowo’s free meals scheme, which has helped more than 62 million students and pregnant women, was launched last year to improve nutrition and reduce stunted growth rates.

The programme has drawn fierce criticism, mostly for alleged corruption and repeated outbreaks of food poisoning.

Critics have also complained that the multi-billion-dollar initiative is a huge financial burden on the government.

Charles Honoris, member of the sole political party outside the governing coalition, said the incidents were not isolated and that the outbreaks are “a failure of the system.”

According to department data, 50,000 people have been affected by food poisoning cases since the scheme began.

Since the first outbreak, several non-governmental organisations have called for the initiative to be paused or cancelled.

In September 2025, 500 children contracted food poisoning, the programme’s biggest outbreak at the time.

The Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) suggested that the scheme be suspended, raising concerns over the government’s ability to prevent outbreaks.

They also questioned the nutritional value of the food provided, noting that most of the meals contained ultra-processed ingredients, which are considered unhealthy.

Doctor Tan Shot Yen of the Mother and Child Movement said the programme no longer prioritised nutritous food, which “could trigger non-communicable diseases.”