Dozens of Indonesian schoolchildren fell ill with food poisoning after consuming free meals provided under President Prabowo Subianto's new flagship program, his office confirmed.

Launched this month, Prabowo’s multi-billion-dollar initiative was a cornerstone of his election campaign, aiming to benefit 82.9 million children and pregnant women across Indonesia’s 280 million population by 2029.

Prabowo said the program would improve their quality of life and boost economic growth.

However, in addition to the financial hurdles and immense logistical challenges, the government is now grappling with another issue: 40 students from a school in Sukoharjo, Central Java, have reported vomiting and nausea after consuming the meals in recent days.

Indonesia's presidential spokesperson Hasan Nasbi confirmed to The Guardian that "there was an incident," adding, "Forty children who ate marinated chicken experienced nausea and vomiting." 

He stated that the affected students had received treatment and medication, with their conditions improving. The meals were promptly withdrawn, and the "undesirable incident" would serve as a “very important evaluation” to strengthen food safety measures moving forward.

Indonesian media reports uncovered that the food poisoning incident at the Central Java school was not an isolated case. Similar instances were reported in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, where several students fell ill after consuming government-provided free meals.

The flagship program

The program, designed to combat stunting and malnutrition, is projected to cost $45 billion over five years, with reports indicating an additional $6.11 billion would be required to expand its reach to over a quarter of the population by the end of the year.

Stunting impacts 21.5% of children in the world’s largest archipelago, with the issue being particularly severe in the less developed eastern regions of the country.

At least 190 kitchens operated by third-party catering services this month, including some managed by military bases, opened nationwide. Officials aimed to provide meals for 570,000 people on the opening day.

As he nears the 100th day of his presidency, Prabowo’s populist policies have garnered strong support, with a survey by Litbang Kompas revealing an 80.9% approval rating for the new government’s performance so far.