Indonesia’s Free-Meal Program Hit by Fresh Food-Poisoning Scandal Across Provinces
More than 800 Indonesian students and teachers fell ill this week after eating free meals linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s government program, with cases in Sidoarjo and Nganjuk (East Java) and Agam (West Sumatra). Hundreds were hospitalised; reports included maggots in tempeh and glass shards in rice, prompting kitchen suspensions. Officials say poisoning cases are a tiny fraction of the more than a billion meals served, while critics call it a systemic failure amid ongoing controversy over corruption, leadership changes, and budget strain. The program, launched last year to tackle malnutrition, remains in place with pledges of reforms.