Indonesia’s free school meals programme faces scrutiny amid 37,000-plus suspected poisoning cases since January 2025

A suspected food poisoning outbreak linked to Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme in Sidoarjo, East Java, has affected at least 566 students, while the discovery that 31 meal-service units in the regency do not have permits has prompted calls for tighter oversight.

The Sidoarjo Regency Government said on Wednesday that 566 students had reported symptoms after consuming MBG meals supplied by the Kalitengah Nutritional Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) in Tanggulangin District. The affected students came from 19 institutions receiving meals from the same SPPG.

The number increased during Wednesday after another 35 students from Manbaul Hikam Islamic Boarding School were taken to hospitals after developing symptoms. The local health authority said 123 students were hospitalised at that point.

Earlier data compiled by Suara Surabaya showed 500 patients had received treatment at eight hospitals. Of those, 65 remained hospitalised, 320 had been discharged and 115 were under observation.

31 SPPGs found without permits

Sidoarjo Regent Subandi inspected the Kalitengah SPPG on Wednesday following the outbreak and said the regency had 170 SPPGs operating across the area.

Of those, 31 had yet to obtain permits, according to Subandi. He said the finding had been reported to the central National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the MBG programme, and called for additional supervision.

Subandi said the Kalitengah SPPG itself had a permit, while the 31 unlicensed units were being evaluated by the local health, investment and one-stop services, and education authorities.

The BGN has temporarily suspended operations at the Kalitengah SPPG while it awaits evaluation and laboratory test results.

Teguh Bayu Wibowo, deputy coordinator of the BGN’s East Java regional office, said coordination with the Sidoarjo government would also address the absence of Hygiene and Sanitation Eligibility Certificates (SLHS) at some SPPGs.

More than 37,000 poisoning cases reported

The Sidoarjo outbreak is the latest in a series of food-safety incidents associated with the MBG programme since it was launched nationally on 6 January 2025.

According to the Jaringan Pemantau Pendidikan Indonesia (JPPI), 40,759 people had been affected by suspected food poisoning linked to the MBG programme since its launch in January 2025, with cases recorded across 36 provinces.

Earlier figures show the scale of the problem increasing as the programme expanded. The Health Office of Yogyakarta, citing the Health Ministry, reported that by 5 October 2025 there had been 119 MBG food-poisoning incidents in 25 provinces and 88 districts or municipalities, involving 11,660 people.

The BGN has used a different measure, recording food-safety incidents rather than individual victims. It said the number of such incidents peaked at 85 in October 2025, fell to 40 in November and 12 in December, and stood at 10 incidents during January 2026.

The agency had previously reported 67 incidents in September 2025 and 85 in October, before the decline towards the end of the year.

Programme expanded rapidly

The MBG programme began on 6 January 2025 as a flagship government initiative intended to provide nutritious meals to children and other eligible groups.

According to the BGN, the programme started with 190 SPPGs serving around 570,000 beneficiaries. By January 2026, more than 21,000 SPPGs were operating and serving approximately 58 million beneficiaries nationwide.

The rapid expansion has been accompanied by measures aimed at addressing food-safety concerns.

In May, the BGN said that 8,182 SPPGs had been suspended at some point between the programme’s launch and 29 May 2026, with 2,213 still suspended at that time. The agency said suspensions followed public complaints, inspections and significant incidents involving beneficiaries.

In August, the BGN said it had removed 137 SPPG heads from their positions in several provinces, including East Java, following food-safety violations and other issues.

Investigation into Sidoarjo outbreak

Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the Sidoarjo outbreak. Food samples from the suspected source are being examined, while the Kalitengah SPPG remains suspended pending the results.

The National Nutrition Agency has previously said that every report of suspected poisoning is followed by the temporary suspension of the relevant SPPG, food-sample testing and an investigation into the cause.

The latest Sidoarjo figures remain subject to change as students continue to be monitored and additional patients are assessed.