September 18, 2025 | 03:35 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Food poisoning incidents continue to plague the Indonesian government’s free nutritious meal (MBG) program.
The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) reported that at least 4,000 students have fallen ill after consuming meals from the program in the past eight months.
Tempo’s monitoring between August 12 and September 18, 2025, shows that 978 students were hospitalized with symptoms ranging from diarrhea, itching, nausea, vomiting, and facial swelling to throat irritation, shortness of breath, dizziness, and headaches.
The repeated incidents have fueled concerns over food safety in the flagship program, which is funded by hundreds of trillions of rupiah from the state budget.
Prabowo’s Instruction for Stricter Oversight
In May, President Prabowo Subianto ordered the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to improve precision and oversight in program implementation. The directive was delivered during a limited coordination meeting in Hambalang, Bogor Regency, West Java, on May 3, 2025.
According to BGN head Dadan Hindayana, the President underscored the importance of preventing future cases that could endanger beneficiaries.
“Our target is zero accident. No incidents of poisoning in the field,” Dadan said, citing the President’s official statement released by the Presidential Secretariat.
Here is a list of mass poisoning cases in the free nutritious meal program compiled by Tempo:
Banggai Islands Regency, South Sulawesi
On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 251 students in Banggai Islands Regency were suspected of food poisoning after consuming free meals. Victims ranging from elementary to high school students were treated at Trikora Salakan Regional General Hospital (RSUD).
Local authorities suspect the source of poisoning came from processed bonito fish served that afternoon.
“It is suspected that several fish were no longer suitable for consumption,” the Banggai Regency government said in an official statement on Thursday, September 18.
Garut, West Java
On the same day, 150 students in Garut also showed symptoms of food poisoning. Garut Health Office official Leli Yuliani confirmed that all affected students complained of stomach pain after eating program meals.
Hari Triputuharja, head of SMA Siti Aisyah, said many students began experiencing simultaneous stomach aches on Wednesday afternoon.
“We immediately coordinated with the health center, which thankfully responded quickly,” he told Antara.
Lebong Regency, Bengkulu
Earlier, on August 27, 2025, 427 students in Lebong Regency, Bengkulu, suffered nausea, vomiting, and weakness after consuming free meals consisting of noodles, meatballs, vegetables, milk, and eggs.
Nandito Putra and Dinda Shabrina contributed to the writing of this article.
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