Indonesia‘s School Food Poisoningโข Crisisโ deepens, Cases Surpass 16,000
Jakarta -โ the number of reported cases of food poisoning linked to Indonesia’s school breakfast program (MBG) has climbed to 16,109 as of October 31, 2025, according to the Indonesian Food Watch (JPPI). The surge in incidents, affecting notโ only students but also teachers, parents, toddlers, and pregnantโค women, is fuelingโ criticism of the government’s response and raising concerns about systemic failures inโฃ food safety and program oversight.
The crisis, which began with isolated reports of student poisonings, hasโฃ rapidly escalated in recentโ months. JPPI data shows a dramatic increase in cases: 2,226 in august, 6,052 in September, and 6,823 in October.coordinator Ubaid โmatraji stated on โฃTuesday, November 4, 2025, that the government’s evaluations and limited interventions by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) have proven insufficient to stem the outbreaks.
“Theโ BGN’s moveโข to partially shut down several kitchens has proven ineffective and failed to stop new outbreaks,” Matraji said. He further criticized the government for withholding audit results related to MBGโข kitchens allegedly connected to the poisonings, adding,โค “To this day, despite โthousands of victims, not a single person has been held accountable.”
JPPI is demanding immediate action, calling for a temporary suspension ofโ the MBG program and theโ formation of an autonomous, cross-agency investigative team-including civil society representatives-to investigate โboth the poisonings and alleged irregularities in program management.”The tragedy of 16,000 victims cannot beโฃ normalized. This is not a mere accident butโ a result of systemic failure and poor governance,” Matraji emphasized.