More than 1,700 students and teachers in Indonesia develop food poisoning after eating government-issued free meals, with multiple incidents reported across the country this week. Symptoms described by outlets include nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, and a number of those affected are hospitalised.
The illnesses are linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship school-feeding programme, launched last year to address malnutrition. The South China Morning Post reports additional cases in Central Java and separate incidents in other locations, while The Guardian describes three separate outbreaks across Java and Sumatra involving hundreds of students and teachers. Both accounts attribute the cluster to the same government meal scheme.
While both outlets report rising totals and hospitalisations, they differ in the specific cumulative figures mentioned and the breakdown by location. They also reflect differing levels of emphasis on the extent of the programme and the growing criticism it faces after the incidents.
