Maretha Uli, Jakarta – The government has suspended operations of "problematic" free meal kitchens amid investigations into mass poisoning cases but said the program will continue nationwide, with authorities pledging closer supervision to prevent further incidents.
The National Food Agency (BGN), which runs President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meal program aimed at improving child nutrition, moved against kitchens linked to recent poisoning incidents in several regions, part of measures introduced around nine months into the program.
"We have halted the operations of problematic free meal kitchens following the recent [poisoning] incidents," BGN head Dadan Hindayana said during a press briefing on Thursday in Jakarta.
He added the suspension was intended to allow investigations and facility improvements, while the program would continue nationwide under tighter oversight in coordination with the Health Ministry and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).
"I was instructed by the President to accelerate the program because many children and parents are still waiting to receive these free meals," Dadan said.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed that his office, together with the BPOM, would oversee the program through a daily reporting system for poisoning cases via community health centers (Puskesmas) and regional health agencies. Schools health units would also inspect meals before distribution.
The government has also agreed to set minimum nutritional standards and risk management requirements for each kitchen, including certification for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), hygiene and sanitation and halal compliance.
Local administrations also stepped up preventive measures. In Central Java, the Semarang Police pledged to monitor meal production and distribution, while the Semarang Health Agency tightened distribution rules, including setting a maximum time from cooking to consumption and forming a quick response team to handle poisoning incidents.
As of Sept. 30, BGN recorded 6,457 students nationwide suffering food poisoning linked to the program since its January launch, with at least 72 kitchens involved. The data was presented to the House of Representatives in a meeting on Wednesday.
The press briefing addressing the "extraordinary occurrences (KLB) surrounding the free meals" followed the death of a 12th-grade student, identified as BR, at SMK 1 Cihampelas vocational school in West Bandung Regency, West Java.
BR died on Tuesday after exhibiting symptoms of foodborne illness, including nausea and vomiting. At least 121 students from the same school had experienced similar symptoms on Sept. 24 after consuming the free meals and were treated at nearby health facilities; BR, however, was not among them.
West Bandung Health Agency head Lia Nurliana Sukandar downplayed a link to the free meals, telling The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the student "in fact, died not because of the free meals." She noted that BR had continued her usual activities after Sept. 24 and had eaten other meals. The student was buried on Wednesday without an autopsy.
When asked about the case on Thursday, Dadan reiterated the health agency's statement but did not provide further clarification, noting only that BGN could not confirm additional details because the family had refused an autopsy.
Continuous call for review
Meanwhile, health and policy experts, parents and civil society groups have repeatedly urged the government to halt and evaluate the program entirely.
Ubaid Matraji of the education watchdog Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) called the decision to continue the program as a "big mistake that must be reconsidered," urging the government to instead shut down all kitchens.
He said the program's problems extended far beyond poisoning cases, citing alleged budget corruption, poor nutrition in meals, conflicts of interest, weak accountability and lack of transparency.
"How can a program worth hundreds of trillions of rupiah be managed arbitrarily by the BGN, which has no experience in nutrition and health?" he told the Post on Thursday. "This program is completely illogical, careless and not in line with its objectives."
Public health expert Dicky Budiman of Griffith University also questioned the continuation of the program, noting that evaluations and corrective measures remained unclear.
"There is still a lot of homework to do," he said. "Forcing the program to continue now would mean that evaluations have only been superficial and not truly comprehensive. When we fail to identify the exact cause of poisoning and do not implement proper mitigation, the risk of recurrence will always exist."
The program has also faced challenges such as poor nutritional quality in ultra-processed meals, heavy kitchen workloads and limited involvement of nutritionists to oversee meal quality, factors that, according to Dicky, further increase the risk of food poisoning.
On Wednesday, a coalition opposing the program staged a protest in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, demanding accountability from Prabowo and BGN.
The coalition called on the government to immediately halt the program, which it said had "proven to fail in fulfilling children's right to nutritious food," according to its statement.