Prabowo Orders Mass Testing: Can It Prevent Poisoning Outbreaks?

Hundreds of Students Sickened as Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meal Program Faces Scrutiny

President Prabowo Subianto’s signature “Free Nutritious Meal” (Makanan Bergizi Gratis or MBG) program is under intense scrutiny after hundreds of students have fallen ill from suspected food poisoning, leading some regions to declare a health emergency (Kejadian Luar Biasa or KLB).

The most recent incident occurred in South Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Friday, October 3rd, affecting at least 331 people. Just two days prior, 119 students from various schools in Agam Regency, West Sumatra, experienced similar symptoms.

President Subianto has reportedly instructed all MBG community kitchens – officially known as Nutritional Fulfillment Service Units (Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi or SPPG) – to equip themselves with rapid testing kits to analyze food packages before distribution.

However, analysts suggest that relying solely on rapid tests has limitations and “cannot guarantee a food package is completely safe or toxin-free.”

“While rapid testing is a positive step for quick verification, it risks creating a false sense of security if it’s not supported by comprehensive controls throughout the entire process, from start to finish,” warns Dicky Budiman, a public health policy expert from Griffith University Australia.

Dadan Hindayana, head of the National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional or BGN), stated that the government plans to issue a presidential regulation (perpres) to strengthen inter-agency coordination in the implementation of the MBG program, aiming to prevent future incidents.

Despite the recent outbreaks, and declarations of KLB status in several regions, Hindayana insists the program will continue.

‘I’d rather my child didn’t eat at school than suffer like this’

The latest mass illness occurred on Friday afternoon in South Central Timor Regency, NTT.

Local health officials and police reported that the 331 victims included students from various schools, as well as toddlers and breastfeeding mothers from local integrated health posts (posyandu). The data was compiled as of 9:30 PM local time on Friday.

Affected students came from Oenasi Kindergarten (20 students), Et Labora Kindergarten (1), SD GMIT SoE II Elementary School (195), SD Inpres Oenasi Elementary School (44), Advent Elementary School (14), SD Inpres SOE Elementary School (33), and Karya High School (1).

Toddlers and breastfeeding mothers affected were from Cendana Early Childhood Education Center (1), Kota Baru Posyandu (6), Bhayangkari Posyandu (3), Nonohonis Posyandu (1), and Maleset Posyandu (12).

Karolina Tahun, head of the South Central Timor Regency Health Department, noted that one of the victims at Kota Baru Posyandu was a nine-month-old infant.

The incident at SD GMIT SoE II Elementary School occurred after students consumed MBG packages containing chicken soup and a piece of meat around noon.

Mardi Tahun, a parent of two students at SD GMIT SoE II, said her children experienced symptoms like nausea, stomach pain, and vomiting upon returning home.

Concerned, Mardi contacted other parents in the SD GMIT SoE II chat group and discovered that several students had already been taken to the hospital with similar symptoms.

“I immediately took my children to the hospital, arriving around 1:00 PM,” Mardi said.

Her children reported that the MBG packages distributed at SD GMIT SoE II had a strange odor.

“They said the noodles and the meat smelled bad,” Mardi explained.

The incident has traumatized Mardi and her husband, who no longer want their children to consume the MBG packages provided at school.

“I’d rather my child didn’t eat at school than eat nutritious food and suffer like this. We can’t accept it,” Mardi stated.

“It’s okay if they just eat plain rice at home, as long as they’re not sick and don’t experience things like this.”

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Mardi suggested that the government should redirect the MBG program’s funds to providing free schooling, given the recurring poisoning incidents – some of which have led to KLB status declarations in several regions.

“I will forbid my children from eating at school. If necessary, we will pack their meals for them,” Mardi explained.

The poisoning incident in South Central Timor Regency is the fourth in NTT since President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship program was launched on January 6, 2025.

On July 22nd, 140 students at SMPN 8 Kupang Junior High School were poisoned after consuming MBG packages.

The following day, 77 students at three schools – SMAN 1 Tambolaka High School, SMKN 2 Tambolaka Vocational School, and Don Bosco Vocational School – suffered similar symptoms, followed by 11 students at SD Inpres Liliba Kupang Elementary School on September 24, 2025.

Two days before the incident in South Central Timor Regency, 119 people were also poisoned after consuming MBG packages in Agam Regency, West Sumatra.

Similar to the incidents in NTT, the Agam case affected students of various levels, including toddlers, parents, and teachers.

Zulkaidir, a parent of a second-grade student at Muhammadiyah Batu Hampu Elementary School, said his child felt nauseous after eating fried rice from the MBG package on October 1st.

He stated that he was fortunate his child did not experience more severe symptoms, but two of his child’s classmates were hospitalized due to vomiting and diarrhea.

“Those two required serious treatment for observation, but the rest were given medication and allowed to go home,” Zulkaidir said.

He hopes the government will seriously evaluate the program, given the recurring poisoning incidents in various locations.

“The government’s intention is good with the MBG program, but the system needs to be ideal,” he said.

If the program continues, Zulkaidir suggests “one kitchen per school would be better.”

This would reduce the burden on the community kitchens, which could impact the quality of the food produced and the length of the distribution time.

“In my opinion, the situation is different when one kitchen cooks for 3,500 people versus 100 or 10 people. The quality will be very different,” Zulkaidir concluded, adding that the MBG program at his child’s school has been temporarily suspended after the poisoning incident.

What is the local government’s response?

The South Central Timor Regency government had not issued a statement as of Friday evening.

BBC News Indonesia contacted several local officials, but they claimed that official statements would be delivered by Regent Eduard Markus Lioe.

Meanwhile, in West Sumatra, Hendri Rusdian, head of the Agam Regency Health Department, said that poisoning victims were treated at four different health facilities: Lubuk Basung Regional General Hospital, Lubuk Basung Community Health Center, Manggopoh Community Health Center, and Rizki Bunda Mother and Child Hospital.

As of Friday afternoon, Hendri stated that 12 people remained hospitalized at Lubuk Basung Regional General Hospital.

The Agam Regency government declared the poisoning a KLB on October 2, 2025, and will cover all medical expenses for the victims.

Hendri Rusdian pledged to increase supervision of MBG kitchens to prevent future poisoning cases, focusing on food safety, processing, and kitchen hygiene and sanitation.

“This program is a national program… To ensure this activity can continue, stricter supervision will be carried out,” Hendri said.

When asked about President Prabowo’s instruction for each community kitchen to use rapid tests to check food before distribution, Hendri said, “I just heard about that.”

“We will coordinate first because we are not aware of that [rapid test].”

Disagreement on the number of poisoning victims

Since its launch in January, the government has not agreed on the exact number of MBG poisoning victims.

During a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives on October 1st, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) and BGN disagreed on the number of poisoning victims.

BPOM reported 9,089 victims as of September 30, 2025, while BGN reported a smaller number of 6,517 – with an increase in cases in the last two months.

Head of BPOM, Taruna Ikrar, said that 17 percent of the causes of poisoning have been confirmed so far, triggered by Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Salmonella sp.

Meanwhile, Head of BGN, Dadan Hindayana, said that the majority of poisoning cases occurred because community kitchens did not meet the established standard operating procedures.

Dadan cited examples of some kitchens purchasing raw materials four days before distribution. In fact, community kitchens should ideally select raw materials no more than two days before distribution.

There were also findings about community kitchens cooking food 12 hours before delivery, while the appropriate time frame should be no more than six hours.

“We can identify that the average incident is due to the SOPs not being strictly followed,” Dadan said.

To prevent data inconsistencies, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said his agency would provide data on poisoning cases every day, just like during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The data will be integrated through community health centers or health departments in each region, and consolidated with BGN.

“From supervision, we want to standardize the reports and figures,” Budi said in a press statement in Jakarta on October 2, 2025.

‘Don’t rely on rapid tests for safety’

BBC News Indonesia interviewed several experts regarding the recurring MBG poisoning cases, despite several regions repeatedly declaring KLB status.

In addition to Agam, which declared KLB on October 2nd, several other regions had previously declared KLB status for MBG poisoning.

These include Bogor City on May 12th, Banggai Regency on September 17th, West Bandung Regency on September 23rd, and Garut on September 30th.

Ali Khomsan, a professor of community nutrition and family resources from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), said that the recurrence of poisoning and KLB declarations for the MBG program is due to the government “hastily pursuing SPPG targets in large numbers.”

“As a result, stages related to sanitation and hygiene preparedness are neglected,” Ali said.

In a meeting at the House of Representatives, Dadan Hindayana said the total number of SPPGs across Indonesia reached 10,012 as of October 1, 2025, with budget absorption estimated at Rp5 trillion.

Regarding the increase in the number of community kitchens, Ali said the government should tighten SPPG licensing and review the granting of Hygiene Sanitation Certificates (SLHS), instead of accelerating the number.

“Don’t suddenly be assigned to provide 3,000 [portions], but it turns out you are not experienced enough,” he said.

Dadan Hindayana added that the government will issue a presidential regulation (perpres) to strengthen inter-agency coordination in the implementation of the MBG program to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

Regarding the planned issuance of the regulation, Health Policy Observer from Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman said “better late than never [no rules].”

However, he stressed that the regulation must contain a “system design and technical standards” and “must be able to unite standards across ministries and institutions.”

“I think it’s better now before the [poisoning] scale is wider,” Dicky said.

Regarding Prabowo’s instruction for each community kitchen to have a rapid test kit to test food before distribution, Dicky appreciates it.

However, he urged the government to fix governance from upstream to downstream in parallel.

If only relying on rapid tests, Dicky is pessimistic that poisoning cases will stop because rapid tests “only capture a small part of the danger.”

“Meanwhile, the majority of the risk is determined by the process design, raw materials, temperature, hygiene, and distribution time,” Dicky said.

“Rapid tests are only for certain biological or specific pathogens, such as salmonella or certain toxins and fungi.”

He cited the United States, which uses rapid tests on food only for initial screening, but then integrates it with a risk system.

As a result, Dicky concluded, “We have to build a system… Don’t rely on safety on rapid tests. It will be risky, even tend to be dangerous if it is used as a shield without system improvements.”

“It [rapid test] is not a substitution from the system that should be built.”

Likewise, Ali Khomsan’s statement said that rapid tests can help maintain food safety, but are not the main solution.

Ali said that the government should instead strengthen food safety training for cooks and food processors in each community kitchen so that they can serve food that is truly nutritious – not poisonous.

“If those who are trained are food handlers or cooks, then the impact will be very large in providing good food,” Ali concluded.

BBC News Indonesia contacted Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana about the details of the rapid test instruction conveyed by Prabowo, but has not received a response to date.

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Journalists Halbert Chaniago in Padang and Eliazar Robert in Kupang contributed to this report.

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