Indonesia Suspends Problem Kitchens but Keeps Free Meals Program Running After Mass Poisonings

Thousands fall ill as Indonesia expands school meals

Indonesia has suspended kitchens linked to mass food poisoning while continuing President Prabowo Subianto's Free Nutritious Meals program, despite mounting demands for a temporary nationwide halt. By October 10, 2025, the National Nutrition Agency had acknowledged at least 4,711 suspected cases through late September, while the Health Ministry and the food and drug regulator had counted more than 5,000.

The Indonesian Education Watch Network, known as JPPI, had compiled 6,452 cases. A coalition of health and education organizations said the national total could already exceed 10,000. Those figures put the safety of meals at the center of a program intended to improve nutrition and reduce stunting among schoolchildren, toddlers, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Stunting means children have not grown as tall as expected because of inadequate nutrition and related health problems.

The National Nutrition Agency, or BGN, says more than a billion portions have been served this year. Around nine months into the rollout, the program, known in Indonesian as Makan Bergizi Gratis, or MBG, has reached more than 20 million recipients. Officials plan to reach about 83 million by the end of 2025 if safety improvements hold.

September brought major outbreaks in Central Java and West Java. In Sragen, 365 people fell ill after meals from a central kitchen reached several schools. In West Bandung Regency, more than 1,000 students experienced stomach pain, dizziness, nausea and shortness of breath across several days.

Authorities have stopped service at implicated kitchens while investigators trace contamination. The government's position is to repair the program while it continues. Health and education groups argue that children need a pause long enough to rebuild food safety controls before more meals are distributed.

A lunch delivery becomes a medical emergency

Sragen's outbreak followed a lunch of turmeric rice, egg strips, fried tempeh, cucumber salad, fruit and milk. A central kitchen prepared the meals and distributed them to multiple schools. Authorities ordered the kitchen to stop operating while laboratory tests and hygiene checks proceeded.

Sigit Pamungkas, the Sragen regency chief, said investigators were still waiting for laboratory results and reviewing conditions at the kitchen. He cautioned against reaching an immediate conclusion about the cause.

We cannot draw specific conclusions right away. The program needs to be more stringent and more hygienic.

Wizdan Ridho Abimanyu, a ninth grader in Sragen, described becoming ill during the night after eating his lunch. His account showed how students began recognizing that classmates were experiencing the same symptoms.

I was woken by a sharp pain in my stomach. I had a headache and diarrhoea. Then I saw my schoolmates posting about the same symptoms.

West Bandung's illnesses unfolded across several days rather than a single lunch service. Local leaders declared an extraordinary event to speed treatment and investigation. Local governments in affected areas have covered medical costs, and authorities say bills will be covered for students who need treatment.

Schools have been told to pause meals supplied by implicated kitchens while laboratory testing and retraining take place. Teachers and parents describe a tense atmosphere, with some parents warning children not to eat the free lunch until confidence returns. For those families, a meal meant to ease daily costs has become a source of anxiety.

How the incidents unfolded across Indonesia

West Java had already experienced a large outbreak in April. In Cianjur, at least 165 students fell ill, and preliminary tests of containers showed contamination with Staphylococcus, E. coli and Salmonella. Full laboratory results took several days. Earlier laboratory testing in West Java also detected Salmonella and E. coli in school meals.

The incidents and the government's response span several stages of the rollout:

• April 2025: At least 165 students became ill in Cianjur, West Java, with preliminary container tests detecting three types of bacteria.
• September 2025: Major outbreaks affected West Bandung Regency and Sragen, where authorities suspended the kitchen involved pending laboratory results.
• Late September 2025: BGN's acknowledged tally reached at least 4,711 suspected cases.
• Early October 2025: Authorities reported more than 10,000 MBG kitchens operating nationwide as tighter controls and training plans were announced.

Other provinces have recorded both illness and complaints about contaminated or unsuitable food. The problems extend beyond the two largest September outbreaks:

• West Sulawesi, Mamuju: Dozens fell ill, with local reports pointing to expired sauce in one incident. Two students were reported in critical condition in a separate case.
• West Kalimantan, Ketapang: At least 25 students and teachers became sick after MBG meals. The regional program head acknowledged that fried shark had wrongly been included on the menu, citing storage and mercury concerns.
• East Java, Tuban, and South Sulawesi, Bulukumba: Students reported finding maggots in meals on some days.
• Riau Islands, Batam: Glass fragments were reportedly found in rice.
• Southeast Sulawesi, Baubau, and Central Sulawesi, Banggai: Additional clusters of illness were recorded, alongside cases elsewhere during the year.

Students and teachers in several provinces have also complained about poor quality or spoiled items, including expired sauces and insect contamination. In several regencies, local task forces have been activated to supervise menus, kitchen hygiene and delivery schedules.

Nutrition agency admits supervision failures

BGN has accepted that its oversight fell short. Nanik Deyang, a deputy head of the agency, apologized for the outbreaks and said some partners and internal teams had failed to follow standard operating procedures, the rules governing how kitchens should prepare and handle meals.

We apologize for the incidents. They arose from a lack of oversight and failures to follow standard operating procedures by some partners and internal teams. We are increasing supervision immediately.

The agency has begun closing kitchens without health certification, banned processed foods from menus, and launched joint investigations with health regulators and police. Officials say dozens of kitchens have been shut for noncompliance, while hundreds more are being audited.

Dadan Hindayana, the head of BGN, said every case would be investigated. He defended continuing the rollout while closing problem kitchens, pointing to the number of portions already served.

Out of roughly one billion portions served this year there have been a few thousand suspected cases. We regret every one of them. We will investigate and improve while the program continues.

Government officials say MBG remains a strategic program for improving nutrition and reducing stunting. They argue that the share of meals linked to suspected illness is small compared with the number distributed, and that continuing service while correcting failures is the most responsible course.

Equipment, chefs and clearer government responsibilities

The government says every kitchen will receive basic hygiene and testing equipment, including food test kits, equipment for washing with hot water and drying, and clean water filtration. These upgrades address practical weaknesses in kitchens preparing large numbers of portions each day.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the government was accelerating equipment improvements. A presidential regulation is also being drafted to define each body's responsibilities, with the Health Ministry overseeing the program and BGN implementing it. The intention is to remove confusion between agencies during supervision and enforcement.

BGN plans to deploy 5,000 professional chefs from the Indonesian Chef Association to train and mentor cooks in Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit kitchens, known as SPPG. These kitchens prepare meals, package them and send them to schools on tight schedules.

Chef Susanto, who chairs the association, said its members would focus on practical instruction inside kitchens. The association also plans to certify kitchens and personnel against common standards.

Our chefs will mentor kitchen teams directly and help put in place consistent standards and safe practices. We will work on certification so every kitchen meets professional food safety.

With more than 10,000 kitchens operating as of early October, the training plan must reach a large network. The next stated expansion target is about 83 million recipients by the end of 2025. No specific date has been given for the presidential regulation, completion of the upgrades or reopening of individual suspended kitchens.

Why cooking and delivery can become dangerous

SPPG kitchens can serve schools safely when refrigeration, clean water and trained staff keep bacteria under control. A failure in any part of that chain can quickly increase risk. Preparing thousands of meals makes the timing of cooking, storage, packaging and transport especially demanding.

Common bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply quickly when cooked food is held or delivered without proper cooling or reheating. Temperature abuse means food spends too long at temperatures where bacteria can grow. Keeping hot food hot, cold food chilled, and raw ingredients apart from cooked meals is essential.

Cooked rice can harbor Bacillus cereus if it cools slowly. Staphylococcus can spread from hands when sanitation is weak. Salmonella and E. coli can contaminate poultry, eggs, meat and raw vegetables. Cross contamination occurs when germs move from contaminated ingredients, hands, surfaces or tools to food that is ready to eat.

Long journeys to schools, poor water quality, inadequate cleaning and undercooked dishes add to the danger. A nutritious menu still requires safe preparation and delivery before children can benefit from it.

Laboratory tests in earlier West Java cases found Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause diarrhoea, cramps and fever. Doctors in recent outbreaks also recorded shortness of breath among students. During mass illness events, dehydration and anxiety can contribute to breathing difficulties while children queue for treatment.

Sri Raharjo, a professor of food technology at Universitas Gadjah Mada, said the program's expansion had outpaced the systems needed to protect each portion. Building and staffing tens of thousands of kitchens requires money, time and trained people.

Raharjo linked the ambitious targets to weak supervision and warned that growth would increase failures unless kitchens were properly staffed and governed by clear rules.

Targets were overly ambitious. Building and staffing tens of thousands of kitchens takes time and systems. When oversight is weak, incidents rise with scale.

He has called for a stronger legal framework for school meals. He also said schools and parents should be able to decline participation without fear of penalty when local kitchens are unprepared, and urged collection of nutrition data to judge whether MBG is improving health.

Calls for a pause reach the human rights commission

JPPI, the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives, food rights groups and watchdogs concerned about corruption have urged a temporary halt. They say a break would allow thorough checks of kitchens, supply chains and training before service resumes.

Ubaid Matraji, JPPI's national coordinator, argued that suspending kitchens after an outbreak leaves children exposed until something goes wrong.

Closing kitchens only after children get sick is ineffective. Suspend the program long enough to fix food safety, then restart with stronger oversight.

Several organizations have filed a complaint with the National Commission on Human Rights, known as Komnas HAM. They allege that failing to provide safe meals violates basic rights and that some communities felt discouraged from reporting incidents.

Atnike Nova Sigiro, a Komnas HAM commissioner, said the state must act quickly to protect access to safe food. She warned that a slow response could amount to a rights violation.

The state must take responsibility for these incidents. If the government fails to act promptly to ensure the right to safe and high quality food, it could amount to a gross rights violation.

The dispute centers on how to protect children while preserving the nutrition program. Civil society groups want a temporary nationwide stop to rebuild controls. Officials favor continuing meals from operating kitchens while investigating cases, closing facilities that fail requirements and covering treatment costs.

A large budget and a demanding nutrition goal

Indonesia set aside about 171 trillion rupiah for the program in its 2025 budget. Officials have signaled a larger allocation next year, with plans to extend MBG through 2029. Government ministries have adjusted spending to help fund it, drawing criticism from groups worried about trade offs and waste.

Protests in some cities reflected frustration over cuts to other services. Parents have also welcomed meals that help stretch household finances. Supporters say daily meals can improve attendance and concentration and support children's growth, benefits seen in school feeding programs around the world.

Prabowo has defended MBG as part of a broader effort to reduce poverty and hunger. The president described its purpose alongside other social initiatives.

This program and other social initiatives will help build a country that is free from poverty, free from hunger, free from suffering.

Doctors and nutrition groups say the food itself must match those goals. They have criticized menus containing too many ultra processed items, including packaged sauces and snacks that replace fresh fruit and vegetables.

Tan Shot Yen, a community nutritionist, argued that a program feeding millions must focus on fresh, balanced meals. She said even a small error can carry large human costs.

Even a small margin of error is unacceptable when human lives are at stake. The program should focus on fresh, nutritious food rather than processed items.

Practical changes proposed for safer meals

Food safety depends on consistent daily routines as much as equipment. Immediate changes proposed for MBG range from shorter delivery routes to better water treatment, with deeper reforms covering staffing, certification and public reporting.

The measures focus on preventing contamination before meals reach classrooms:

• Limit delivery areas so meals arrive within safe time windows, or reheat food at schools to safe temperatures.
• Install handwashing stations, equipment for washing dishes with hot water, and sanitizers in every kitchen, supported by daily checklists and logs.
• Provide clean water through filtration or chlorination and test it routinely.
• Separate areas for preparing raw and cooked food, use cutting boards and tools identified by color, and transport meals in sealed containers.
• Exclude risky items from mass service, including raw salads where water quality is uncertain and foods that spoil quickly without refrigeration.
• Place certified nutritionists and food safety officers across SPPG networks to oversee menus and operations.
• Publish incident figures and corrective actions daily so parents and schools can monitor providers.
• Conduct unannounced audits, rapidly retrain kitchens with repeated violations, and keep them suspended until they pass certification.
• Allow schools with proven kitchens to operate under MBG standards, using local produce and community oversight.

These proposals address different stages of the same meal: buying ingredients, preparing them safely, keeping food at suitable temperatures, delivering it promptly and responding openly when something fails. Their effectiveness depends on kitchens following the routines every day.

A school kitchen offers a local example

A public elementary school in Solo has operated a healthy kitchen since 2015 with nutritionist oversight and routine checks. Parents receive menus in advance and can provide feedback. The school reports no incidents.

Parents and experts have suggested allowing similar kitchens managed by schools to participate under clear MBG standards, rather than requiring all schools to use central kitchens that may be unprepared. The Solo example brings supervision, menu planning and parental feedback close to the children being served.

Indonesia's response now combines kitchen suspensions, investigations, equipment upgrades and planned training while national service continues. Families in affected towns are waiting for safe meals and reliable answers about what caused their children to fall ill.

What to Know

• Indonesia is continuing MBG while suspending kitchens linked to poisoning or failures to meet requirements.
• BGN acknowledged at least 4,711 suspected cases through late September; health authorities counted more than 5,000, JPPI counted 6,452, and a coalition said the total could exceed 10,000.
• Major September outbreaks included 365 people in Sragen and more than 1,000 students in West Bandung Regency.
• BGN admitted supervision failures, banned processed foods and began investigations with health regulators and police.
• Equipment upgrades and training by 5,000 professional chefs are planned across a network exceeding 10,000 kitchens.
• A presidential regulation is being drafted to assign oversight to the Health Ministry and implementation to BGN.
• Civil society groups want a temporary halt, and several organizations have complained to Komnas HAM.
• The 2025 budget allocated about 171 trillion rupiah, with a target of roughly 83 million recipients by year end and plans extending through 2029.
• Proposed safety measures include shorter delivery routes, clean water, reliable sanitation, qualified staff, kitchen certification and daily public reporting.