A new spate of mass food poisonings linked to Indonesia's nationwide free meals program has renewed calls to suspend or cancel the program, as police investigate alleged negligence at a kitchen.
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police → link → kitchen
The program, known as Makan Bergizi Gratis or MBG, is one of President Prabowo Subianto's signature policies.
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program → know → policies
It was introduced in January 2025 to tackle child malnutrition and stunting by providing free meals to tens of millions of students nationwide.
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It → introduce → students
Between September 1 and 9 this year, nearly 3,500 people, most of them school students, reportedly suffered food poisoning after consuming MBG meals in multiple regions, according to data from Indonesia's Health Ministry.
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most → suffer → Ministry
About 50,000 people fell sick across 560 incidents linked to the scheme since the start of the program.
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people → fall → program
For some families, the consequences have been potentially life-changing.
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consequences → change → families
Teen suffers memory loss
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Teen → suffer → loss
On August 13, 16-year-old Febiola Purba — a high achieving vocational high school student from Karo Regency in North Sumatra — was served fish at school as part of the MBG.
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Purba → achieve → MBG
Her family said that after returning home she collapsed and they rushed her to hospital.
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they → say → hospital
Vision of the alleged mass poisoning event in Karo shows frantic scenes as parents desperately seek medical treatment for their children.
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parents → allege → children
Inside the hospital, students were heaving and vomiting, with some connected to IV drips to receive fluids.
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some → heave → fluids
Icuk Sugiarto Purba, Febiola's father, said his daughter had experienced memory issues since the poisoning, leaving her unable to recognise classmates, teachers, and even members of her own family.
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daughter → say → family
"She didn't even recognise me, her own father, despite us sitting together," he said.
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he → recognise → me
Galau Muhammad from MBG Watch, a civil society coalition that monitors the program and collects public complaints, said Febiola also suffered seizures and an inability to speak clearly.
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Febiola → monitor → seizures
"Her tongue and jaw have also been affected, and to date there is no treatment that has fully restored her condition,"he said.
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that → affect → condition,"he
Febiola is now being treated in a Jakarta hospital at the request of Indonesia's Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
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Febiola → treat → President
Mr Gibran, the son of former president Joko Widodo, has visited her parents in Karo and apologised to them.
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Gibran → visit → them
Edison Manik's daughter, Eunice, was also allegedly poisoned in the Karo outbreak, and taken to hospital from her school.
"There's been no accountability whatsoever, only an apology and that was given through the media," the father said.
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father → poison → media
Tests conducted by the North Sumatra Provincial Health Laboratory reportedly found harmful bacteria in food samples distributed through the program.
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Tests → conduct → program
Nutrition expert Tan Shot Yen said toxicology findings from the Karo case raised concerns that food safety protocols may not have been properly followed.
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protocols → say → concerns
She pointed to laboratory results that reportedly identified Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination as well as Staphylococcus aureus, bacteria commonly associated with poor food handling, cross-contamination and inadequate temperature control.
Dr Tan said she had raised concerns before the program even began that the government was not putting in place necessary safeguards.
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government → point → safeguards
She said contamination could occur at several stages of meal preparation, from storage and handling through to distribution.
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contamination → say → distribution
"Staphylococcus aureus can produce neurotoxins, toxins that can affect the nervous system," Dr Tan said.
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Tan → produce → system
Legal notice sent to the president
The National Nutritional Agency, the agency responsible for rolling out the MBG program, has had three different heads since it was launched.
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it → send → heads
Former boss Dadan Hindayana was sacked just before he was arrested on corruption allegations, while long-term Subianto loyalist Nanik Sudaryati Deyang served as chief for a short stint before stepping down due to health reasons.
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Deyang → sack → reasons
New chief, Sudaryono (who goes by a single name), oversees an agency that is responsible for more than 25,000 kitchens nationwide.
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that → go → kitchens
Kitchens are set up by mostly privately run "foundations", with some nutrition agency staff typically embedded in them.
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staff → set → them
The MBG program budget has also been reduced to $17 billion in the 2026 budget.
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budget → reduce → budget
Sudaryono has distanced the agency from kitchens at the centre of recent mass poisoning incidents, describing their actions as "reckless negligence".
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Sudaryono → distance → negligence
But critics say the recurring incidents point to deeper problems than simple mistakes in individual kitchens.
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incidents → say → kitchens
Edy Kurniawan Wachid, deputy for advocacy at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), said that in many cases, the failure occurred somewhere along the supply chain between food preparation and delivery.
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failure → say → preparation
Earlier this month, YLBHI issued formal legal notices to the National Nutrition Agency, the Finance Ministry, parliament and Mr Subianto, arguing the government had failed to address systemic problems despite repeated incidents.
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government → issue → incidents
The organisation is now exploring further legal action, including claims relating to administrative law and possible human rights violations.
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organisation → explore → law
In Karo, parents have taken a rare step and filed a police complaint against the kitchen involved in the alleged mass food poisoning incident.
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parents → take → incident
Police from Karo Regency are now investigating the kitchen, which has been shut by the National Nutrition Agency.
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which → investigate → Agency
"There is indeed a negligence issue," Juliadi Kaban, a lawyer representing the families, said.
"
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Kaban → be → families
We hope that the Karo District Police will as quickly as possible determine who the actual perpetrator or suspect of that negligence is."
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perpetrator → hope → negligence
The Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation's Mr Wachid said some families and schools had reported pressure not to speak publicly about the poisoning incidents, while others feared their children could face negative consequences if they challenged authorities.
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they → say → authorities
In response to mounting concerns, the National Nutrition Agency has suspended operations at 1,276 MBG kitchens that have not met hygiene and sanitation certification requirements.
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that → mount → requirements
"The health and safety of beneficiaries is our highest priority," BGN deputy for monitoring and supervision Ketut Sumedana told state news agency Antara.
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Sumedana → tell → Antara
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia