400 Indonesian children ill after eating Prabowo’s free school meals
The children, aged 4 to 12, were hospitalised for stomach pain, leading to a temporary kitchen closure for an investigation
Around 400 children have fallen ill after eating free school meals in Indonesia’s western Bengkulu Province in the worst case of mass food poisoning to date linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship food programme.
Prabowo launched the programme of free meals for children and pregnant women in January, but the initiative has been marred by mass food poisoning across the archipelago, affecting hundreds of people.
Last month, 365 people fell ill from free school meals in Central Java. According to local media reports, laboratory results indicated that the outbreak was a result of poor sanitation.
In Bengkulu, the children aged from about 4 to 12 were rushed to a local hospital complaining of stomach pain last Thursday, according to a video handout from the local government.
Authorities will launch an investigation into the cause of the illness, the province’s vice governor Mian said.
“We will temporarily suspend operations at this kitchen while we investigate where the weaknesses lie. This is the domain of the BGN (National Nutrition Agency) investigation team and the authorities,” he said.