Indonesia Urges Police to Investigate Mass Food Poisoning
Indonesia's rights commission demands a police investigation into mass food poisoning from President Prabowo's free school meal programme, which has sickened around 2,000 people this week across multiple provinces. Poor food storage and del
Indonesia's national human rights commission has called on police to urgently investigate food poisoning cases linked to President Prabowo Subianto's free school meal programme, which has sickened around 2,000 people this week. Local media reported that approximately 170 students and teachers in Tana Toraja district, South Sulawesi province, fell ill after eating the free meals on 3 September, adding to more than 1,700 cases spread across Central Java, East Java, and West Sumatra provinces. The National Nutrition Office said it would handle the poisoning cases seriously, noting that improper food storage and delayed delivery of cooked meals were the primary causes. Since 8 August, more than 37,600 people have been sickened by the free meal programme, with official figures as of 1 September showing over 50,000 cases, raising concerns that numbers could continue to rise if authorities do not take decisive action.
