Over 800 students fell sick in two cases of mass food poisoning this week after consuming free school meals sponsored by the Indonesian government, officials said on Friday. One case affected more than 500 and was the biggest outbreak yet under President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programme. From January, when the programme was launched, up to August, over 4,000 children have been hit by food poisoning after consuming the meals, according to Indonesian-based think tank, the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance, raising questions on oversight. In Indonesia’s West Java province, 569 students from five schools in the Garut region experienced nausea and vomiting on Wednesday after consuming chicken and rice provided by one free meals kitchen a day earlier, Nurdin Yana, the secretary of Garut regional government, told Reuters. “As of Friday, ten students are still being treated at the hospital and others have recovered,” Yana said. Initially, about 30 students had to be hospitalised, while the rest were treated at home, he added.

Full report : Over 800 Indonesian students suffer mass food poisoning from government free meals.