Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Mass food poisoning linked to Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program continues to surface across the country. Since its rollout in early January 2025, suspected cases of poisoning traced to MBG meals have been reported in multiple regions.
By the end of September 2025, the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) recorded around 6,452 cases of food poisoning related to MBG.
Government data collected by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the Health Ministry, and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) puts the number slightly lower, at about 5,000 cases.
Between August 12 and September 18, 2025, Tempo reports show that at least 978 students were hospitalized after consuming MBG meals, displaying a range of symptoms: diarrhea, full-body rashes, nausea and vomiting, facial swelling, itchy throat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and severe headaches.
JPPI data highlights the five provinces with the highest number of MBG poisoning cases: West Java (2,012 cases), Yogyakarta (1,047), Central Java (722), Bengkulu (539), and Central Sulawesi (446).
JPPI Coordinator Ubaid Matraji told parliament on September 22 that poisoning incidents briefly dropped in June, coinciding with the new student admission period when fewer meals were distributed.
"But once schools reopened in July, and MBG meals were rolled out aggressively in August and September, the numbers spiked dramatically, reaching the thousands," he said during a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission IX.
Reported outbreaks across Indonesia, from January to September 2025
- Sukoharjo, Central Java – Just weeks after the program's launch, 10 elementary students fell ill with stomach pain and nausea after eating MBG meals on January 16, 2025.
- East Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara – On February 18, 29 students at a Catholic elementary school experienced mild poisoning symptoms and were rushed to nearby health facilities.
- Bombana, Southeast Sulawesi – On April 23, several students vomited after detecting a foul odor from their MBG meal packs. Inspections revealed 53 out of 1,026 boxes were unsafe for consumption.
- Cianjur, West Java – In one of the more severe cases, 176 people, including students from two schools and guests at a local community event, suffered poisoning after eating MBG meals.
- Bogor, West Java – On May 11, 210 students from kindergarten to junior high fell sick, with 22 hospitalized.
- Lebong, Bengkulu – On August 27, a massive outbreak affected 427 students who had eaten meals containing noodles, meatballs, vegetables, milk, and eggs. Victims ranged from preschoolers to elementary students across multiple schools.
- Banggai Islands, Central Sulawesi – On September 17, 251 students were rushed to Trikora Salakan Regional Hospital after eating MBG meals suspected to have been contaminated fish (skipjack tuna).
- Garut, West Java – On the same day, 150 high school students were hospitalized after eating MBG meals, according to school officials.
- Cipongkor, West Bandung Regency, West Java – On September 23, 364 students suffered poisoning in what local authorities declared an "extraordinary incident."
- Ketapang, West Kalimantan – The most recent outbreak occurred on September 24, when 20 students and teachers at an elementary school fell ill after eating MBG meals containing shark meat. The catering provider was identified as Dapur Mitra Mandiri 2.
The continuing outbreaks raise mounting concerns over food safety and oversight in the MBG program, one of President Prabowo Subianto's flagship policies.
– Dede Leni and Dinda Shabrina contributed to the writing of this article.