Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta – More than 200 students from two schools in Sidikalang district, Dairi regency, North Sumatra, have fallen ill after consuming food provided under the government's free nutritious meal program, the latest in a series of food poisoning incidents linked to the initiativ
On Tuesday, 159 students from SMK HKBP Sidikalang Vocational School were hospitalized after experiencing stomachaches, nausea, diarrhea and shortness of breath hours after eating the government-provided lunch, school officials said.
School headmaster Melanton Sirait said the school first noticed a food poisoning outbreak when 76 students were reported absent due to illness. By 9 a.m., students who had attended school also began experiencing diarrhea and were quickly taken to the hospital.
"A day earlier, 720 portions of the government provided meals consisting of rice, chicken curry, lettuce, sliced cucumber and banana had been distributed to students and teachers. Of these, only 159 students ate the meals, as many suspected the food had gone bad. Those who consumed the meals later developed food poisoning symptoms," he said on Wednesday.
Melanton added that the packaged meals planned for Tuesday were withheld and not given to students to prevent further incidents.
Yohani Hutabarat, an 11th grade student affected by the food poisoning incident, said she experienced stomach pain, nausea and dizziness after consuming meals provided under the free meal program.
"The symptoms began around 1 a.m. the next day," Yohani told reporters while receiving treatment at Sidikalang General Hospital on Tuesday.
Another 11th grade student, Anna Situmorang, said she also suffered abdominal pain and shortness of breath after eating the meal.
"I still feel short of breath, but not as severely as yesterday. My stomach pain has also improved," she said.
On Wednesday, around 83 students from SMK Arina Vocational School, also in Sidikalang district, were rushed to the hospital after falling ill from eating fish, bean sprouts, and fried tempeh served at their school the previous day.
Some students reported that the fish smelled off and the tempeh appeared moldy.
Local authorities said the sudden influx of patients overwhelmed hospitals, prompting them to add 50 extra beds and 15 mattresses to accommodate the affected students.
Salman, head of the North Sumatra Education Agency Region IV, said the same kitchen was responsible for preparing meals for both SMK Arina and SMK HKBP Sidikalang, detik.com reported.
He added that authorities have suspended the kitchen's operations on Wednesday pending a food safety investigation.
President Prabowo Subianto launched the free meals program on Jan 6, 2025, as one of his flagship initiatives aimed at addressing the country's chronic stunting problem.
Since its launch, however, the free meals program has been plagued by a series of food safety incidents, with more than 12,600 students reported to have suffered food poisoning last year, according to the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI).
Investigations found that meals provided under the program have been contaminated with harmful bacteria, contained spoiled or unsafe ingredients, been served for too long, prepared with water not suitable for drinking or stored at unsafe temperatures.
Amid mounting public pressure to suspend the program, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) tightened food safety protocols in October 2025 in a bid to eliminate food poisoning incidents this year.
Despite the agency's zero-incident target, more than 2,000 students have been affected by food poisoning cases linked to the free meal program so far this year.
Last month, BGN head Dadan Hindayana acknowledged that the agency had fallen short of its zero-incident goal. However, he said the number of cases had declined compared to last year, attributing the improvement to stricter food safety measures.
To further strengthen oversight, Dadan said the BGN would begin nationwide accreditation and certification of all kitchens under the program this year.
The process will be carried out by an independent third party and will assess compliance with nutritional standards, hygiene requirements and overall food safety protocols.
Incentives for certified kitchens and program partners will vary depending on their audit performance, he added.
Dadan also said the agency plans to continue rapidly expanding the number of kitchens participating in the free meal program, targeting around 36,000 kitchens this year to serve approximately 82.9 million students nationwide. (nal)