A new spate of mass food poisonings linked to Indonesia's nationwide free meals program has renewed calls to suspend or cancel the program, as police investigate alleged negligence at a kitchen.
The program, known as Makan Bergizi Gratis or MBG, is one of President Prabowo Subianto's signature policies.
It was introduced in January 2025 to tackle child malnutrition and stunting by providing free meals to tens of millions of students nationwide.
Between September 1 and 9 this year, nearly 3,500 people, most of them school students, reportedly suffered food poisoning after consuming MBG meals in multiple regions, according to data from Indonesia's Health Ministry.
About 50,000 people fell sick across 560 incidents linked to the scheme since the start of the program.
For some families, the consequences have been potentially life-changing.
Teen suffers memory loss
On August 13, 16-year-old Febiola Purba — a high achieving vocational high school student from Karo Regency in North Sumatra — was served fish at school as part of the MBG.
Her family said that after returning home she collapsed and they rushed her to hospital.
Vision of the alleged mass poisoning event in Karo shows frantic scenes as parents desperately seek medical treatment for their children.
Inside the hospital, students were heaving and vomiting, with some connected to IV drips to receive fluids.
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Icuk Sugiarto Purba, Febiola's father, said his daughter had experienced memory issues since the poisoning, leaving her unable to recognise classmates, teachers, and even members of her own family.
"She didn't even recognise me, her own father, despite us sitting together," he said.
Galau Muhammad from MBG Watch, a civil society coalition that monitors the program and collects public complaints, said Febiola also suffered seizures and an inability to speak clearly.
Febiola is now being treated in a Jakarta hospital at the request of Indonesia's Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
Mr Gibran, the son of former president Joko Widodo, has visited her parents in Karo and apologised to them.
Edison Manik's daughter, Eunice, was also allegedly poisoned in the Karo outbreak, and taken to hospital from her school.
"There's been no accountability whatsoever, only an apology and that was given through the media," the father said.
What went wrong in Karo?
Tests conducted by the North Sumatra Provincial Health Laboratory reportedly found harmful bacteria in food samples distributed through the program.
Nutrition expert Tan Shot Yen said toxicology findings from the Karo case raised concerns that food safety protocols may not have been properly followed.
She pointed to laboratory results that reportedly identified Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination as well as Staphylococcus aureus, bacteria commonly associated with poor food handling, cross-contamination and inadequate temperature control.
Dr Tan said she had raised concerns before the program even began that the government was not putting in place necessary safeguards.
She said contamination could occur at several stages of meal preparation, from storage and handling through to distribution.
"Staphylococcus aureus can produce neurotoxins, toxins that can affect the nervous system," Dr Tan said.
Legal notice sent to the president
The National Nutritional Agency, the agency responsible for rolling out the MBG program, has had three different heads since it was launched.
Former boss Dadan Hindayana was sacked just before he was arrested on corruption allegations, while long-term Subianto loyalist Nanik Sudaryati Deyang served as chief for a short stint before stepping down due to health reasons.
New chief, Sudaryono (who goes by a single name), oversees an agency that is responsible for more than 25,000 kitchens nationwide.
Kitchens are set up by mostly privately run "foundations", with some nutrition agency staff typically embedded in them.
The MBG program budget has also been reduced to $17 billion in the 2026 budget.
Sudaryono has distanced the agency from kitchens at the centre of recent mass poisoning incidents, describing their actions as "reckless negligence".
But critics say the recurring incidents point to deeper problems than simple mistakes in individual kitchens.
Edy Kurniawan Wachid, deputy for advocacy at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), said that in many cases, the failure occurred somewhere along the supply chain between food preparation and delivery.
Earlier this month, YLBHI issued formal legal notices to the National Nutrition Agency, the Finance Ministry, parliament and Mr Subianto, arguing the government had failed to address systemic problems despite repeated incidents.
The organisation is now exploring further legal action, including claims relating to administrative law and possible human rights violations.
In Karo, parents have taken a rare step and filed a police complaint against the kitchen involved in the alleged mass food poisoning incident.
Police from Karo Regency are now investigating the kitchen, which has been shut by the National Nutrition Agency.
"There is indeed a negligence issue," Juliadi Kaban, a lawyer representing the families, said.
"We hope that the Karo District Police will as quickly as possible determine who the actual perpetrator or suspect of that negligence is."
The Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation's Mr Wachid said some families and schools had reported pressure not to speak publicly about the poisoning incidents, while others feared their children could face negative consequences if they challenged authorities.
In response to mounting concerns, the National Nutrition Agency has suspended operations at 1,276 MBG kitchens that have not met hygiene and sanitation certification requirements.
The ABC has approached BGN for comment.
Calls to end the program
Annette Mau, a representative of the Indonesian Mothers Coalition, said women and mothers had largely been excluded from the planning and implementation of MBG, despite traditionally playing a central role in choosing and preparing food for children.
"It's as though the state has decided it knows how to feed our children better than we do," Ms Mau said.
She argued the repeated poisoning cases, which continue to put children's safety at risk, could no longer be tolerated.
Mr Muhammad from MBG Watch has also urged Mr Subianto to scrap the policy he championed during the election campaign, "especially given Indonesia's more urgent needs, including natural disaster response".
Mr Subianto, speaking with several editors-in-chief and senior journalists at his residence on September 16, dismissed claims that his flagship programs had failed.
"What exactly is wrong with them? Let me ask. What is wrong with the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and the Red-and-White Cooperatives?
"There is a group that is trying to create the impression that we have failed … but we have not failed, we have succeeded," Mr Subianto said.
