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The Star
5 days ago
- Health
- The Star
More than 360 hit by food poisoning after eating free school meal in Indonesian town
SRAGEN, Indonesia (Reuters) -More than 360 people fell ill in Indonesia's town of Sragen in Central Java after consuming school lunches, an official said on Thursday, in the largest food poisoning case to hit President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meals programme. Since its launch in January, the free school meals programme has been marred by mass food poisoning cases across the archipelago, affecting over 1,000 people. Sragen government chief Sigit Pamungkas told Reuters 365 people fell ill and a food sample was being tested in a lab. The government would pay for any medical treatment if needed. Wizdan Ridho Abimanyu, a ninth grader at Gemolong 1 middle school, told Reuters he was woken at night by sharp pain in his stomach. He had a headache and diarrhoea, which he deduced had been caused by food poisoning after seeing schoolmates' social media posts complaining the same. The likely contaminated lunch was turmeric rice, omelette ribbons, fried tempeh, cucumber and lettuce salad, sliced apple and a box of milk, cooked in a central kitchen and distributed to several schools. "We have asked to temporarily stop the food distribution from that kitchen until the lab results are back," Sigit said. The government's National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the programme, has raised the standards of kitchen operations and delivery in the aftermath of previous food poisoning cases, its chief Dadan Hindayana told Reuters. The free meals programme has been rapidly expanded to over 15 million recipients so far. Authorities plan to reach 83 million by year-end, budgeting a total cost of 171 trillion rupiah ($10.62 billion) this year. In a food poisoning case in a city in West Java in May, more than 200 students fell ill and a lab found the food was contaminated with Salmonella and E. coli bacteria, according to media reports. ($1 = 16,106.0000 rupiah) (Reporting by Budi Purwanto in Sragen, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman and Gayatri Suroyo in Jakarta; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
The Star
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Indonesia cuts outlay on giant free meal plan
Planned spending on the programme is now forecast at 350 trillion rupiah next year. — AFP JAKARTA: Indonesia has trimmed spending plans for what could still be the world's second-most expensive free meal programme, offering modest relief from fiscal pressures as President Prabowo Subianto advances a host of big-ticket projects. Planned spending on the programme, which targets reaching 83 million people in the coming months, is now forecast at 350 trillion rupiah next year after officials revised ingredient cost estimates lower by a third, said Dadan Hindayana, head of the newly created National Nutrition Agency. That marked a 22% drop from spending plans earlier this year. This year's expenditures are expected to total about US$7.5bil, Hindayana said in a recent interview. That represented a 29% reduction from prior plans. The recalibration of the five-days-a-week programme, aimed at improving health outcomes for students, children under five, and pregnant or breastfeeding women in the world's fourth-most populous nation, could ease some investor concerns about Indonesia's budget deficit outlook. — Bloomberg
The Star
25-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Indonesia cuts outlay on giant free meals programme to US$21bil
JAKARTA: Indonesia has trimmed spending plans for what could still be the world's second-most expensive free meals programme, offering modest relief from fiscal pressures as President Prabowo Subianto advances a host of big-ticket projects. Planned spending on the programme, which targets reaching 83 million people in the coming months, is now forecast at 350 trillion rupiah (US$21.4 billion) next year after officials revised ingredient cost estimates lower by a third, said Dadan Hindayana, head of the newly created National Nutrition Agency. That marks a 22 per cent drop from spending plans earlier this year. This year's expenditures are expected to total about US$7.5 billion, Hindayana said in a recent interview. That represents a 29 per cent reduction from prior plans. The recalibration of the five-days-a-week programme, aimed at improving health outcomes for students, children under five, and pregnant or breastfeeding women in the world's fourth-most populous nation, could ease some investor concerns about Indonesia's budget deficit outlook as the president presses for big projects early in his presidency. Prabowo has backed consumer stimulus measures, started rolling out tens of thousands of new community cooperatives and floated plans for a US$80 billion sea wall off the north Java coast. Indonesia's free meals initiative could be the world's most expensive after the US, which budgeted US$29.4 billion for meals in the school year ended 2023, according to the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, a Seattle-based nonprofit that surveys such programmes. The third most expensive programme that year, at a little over US$10 billion, was in France. One challenge will be to meet demand for food inputs, with the meals initiative sourcing eggs, chicken, fish, vegetables and fruit locally, Hindayana said. He added that milk demand will soon outstrip supply, and that the government plans to import as many as 1.5 million dairy cows in the coming years - potentially tripling the nation's existing herd - from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the US and European nations. "We need time to induce people or farmers and everyone to produce food locally,' he said. "Right now we still have no problem, but in the near future we need more supply.' Hindayana said officials are still seeking to roll out meals to all 83 million recipients by the end of the year - even though it will require a 16-fold increase from five million currently. The drive thus far has been complicated by instances of food poisoning and logistical challenges in a country of more than 17,000 islands. He said the imminent deployment of some 30,000 university graduates to serve as managers of kitchen units would help accelerate efforts. Private investment is another hurdle. The government is banking on the private sector to set up the bulk of some 32,000 kitchens to source foods and cook and distribute meals. Currently fewer than 1,900 are in operation. That's been a hard sell in the early going, with a single kitchen costing as much as US$183,000 and needing perhaps two years to break even, said Aditya Perdana, a political lecturer at the University of Indonesia. "People aren't convinced with the investment model and prefer to just wait and see the progress,' he said. He added that while there hasn't been serious opposition to the free meals programme from political parties or citizens, implementation remains a question. "You can be ambitious, but you must also be rational to avoid adding a burden to the state budget,' he said. Analysts at Nomura Holdings Inc. last week reiterated their forecast for Indonesia to post a fiscal deficit this year of 2.9 per cent of gross domestic product, higher than a budgeted 2.5 per cent and close to the country's legal limit of 3.0 per cent. They cited weak economic growth and low commodity prices, along with plans to accelerate spending in the second half of the year, including for the free meals programme. They added that they expect the government to announce a wider fiscal deficit outlook in July, when finance officials typically submit a mid-year budget review to parliament. Ministries will also begin discussing their budgets and work plans for 2026 with lawmakers next month. Prabowo has acknowledged challenges of the free meals drive while describing it as a long-term investment in Indonesia's future. "Many people already express much negativity surrounding the free nutritious meal programme; they say it is an impossible programme,' he said in a cabinet meeting last month, according to a statement. "We need to prove them wrong.' "We will call it a success, God willing, in December 2025,' he said. - Bloomberg
South China Morning Post
25-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia trims billions from free meals scheme after budget rethink
Indonesia has trimmed spending plans for what could still be the world's second-most expensive free meals programme, offering modest relief from fiscal pressures as President Prabowo Subianto advances a host of other big-ticket projects. Advertisement Planned spending on the programme, which targets reaching 83 million people in the coming months, was now forecast at 350 trillion rupiah (US$21.4 billion) next year after officials had revised ingredient cost estimates down by a third, said Dadan Hindayana, head of the newly created National Nutrition Agency. That marks a 22 per cent drop from spending plans earlier this year. This year's expenditures are expected to total about US$7.5 billion, Hindayana said in a recent interview. That represents a 29 per cent reduction from prior plans. The recalibration of the five-days-a-week programme, aimed at improving health outcomes for students, children under five, and pregnant or breastfeeding women in the world's fourth-most populous nation, could ease some investor concerns about Indonesia's budget deficit outlook as the president presses for big projects early in his presidency. Prabowo has backed consumer stimulus measures, started rolling out tens of thousands of new community co-operatives and floated plans for an US$80 billion sea wall off the north Java coast. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto takes a closer look at the meals on offer during a visit to a school in Jakarta to inspect the free nutritious meals programme in May. Photo: Reuters Indonesia's free meals initiative could be the world's most expensive after the United States , which budgeted US$29.4 billion for meals in the school year ended 2023, according to the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, a Seattle-based non-profit that surveys such programmes. The third most expensive programme that year, at a little over US$10 billion, was in France
Business Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Indonesia cuts outlay on giant free meals programme to 350 trillion rupiah
[JAKARTA] Indonesia has trimmed spending plans for what could still be the world's second-most expensive free meals programme, offering modest relief from fiscal pressures as President Prabowo Subianto advances a host of big-ticket projects. Planned spending on the programme, which targets reaching 83 million people in the coming months, is now forecast at 350 trillion rupiah (S$27 billion) next year after officials revised ingredient cost estimates lower by a third, said Dadan Hindayana, head of the newly created National Nutrition Agency. That marks a 22 per cent drop from spending plans earlier this year. This year's expenditures are expected to total about US$7.5 billion, Hindayana said. That represents a 29 per cent reduction from prior plans. The recalibration of the five-days-a-week programme, aimed at improving health outcomes for students, children under five, and pregnant or breastfeeding women in the world's fourth-most populous nation, could ease some investor concerns about Indonesia's budget deficit outlook as the president presses for big projects early in his presidency. Prabowo has backed consumer stimulus measures, started rolling out tens of thousands of new community cooperatives and floated plans for an US$80 billion sea wall off the north Java coast. Indonesia's free meals initiative could be the world's most expensive after the US, which budgeted US$29.4 billion for meals in the school year ended 2023, according to the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, a Seattle-based non-profit that surveys such programmes. The third most expensive programme that year, at a little over US$10 billion, was in France. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up One challenge will be to meet demand for food inputs, with the meals initiative sourcing eggs, chicken, fish, vegetables and fruit locally, Hindayana said. He added that milk demand will soon outstrip supply, and that the government plans to import as many as 1.5 million dairy cows in the coming years – potentially tripling the nation's existing herd – from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the US and European nations. 'We need time to induce people or farmers and everyone to produce food locally,' he said. 'Right now we still have no problem, but in the near future we need more supply.' Hindayana said officials are still seeking to roll out meals to all 83 million recipients by the end of the year, even though it will require a 16-fold increase from five million currently. The drive thus far has been complicated by instances of food poisoning and logistical challenges in a country of more than 17,000 islands. He said the imminent deployment of some 30,000 university graduates to serve as managers of kitchen units would help accelerate efforts. Private investment is another hurdle. The government is banking on the private sector to set up the bulk of some 32,000 kitchens to source foods and cook and distribute meals. Currently, fewer than 1,900 are in operation. That's been a hard sell in the early going, with a single kitchen costing as much as US$183,000 and needing perhaps two years to break even, said Aditya Perdana, a political lecturer at the University of Indonesia. 'People are not convinced with the investment model and prefer to just wait and see the progress,' he said. He added that while there has not been serious opposition to the free meals programme from political parties or citizens, implementation remains a question. 'You can be ambitious, but you must also be rational to avoid adding a burden to the state budget,' he said. Analysts at Nomura Holdings last week reiterated their forecast for Indonesia to post a fiscal deficit this year of 2.9 per cent of gross domestic product, higher than a budgeted 2.5 per cent and close to the country's legal limit of 3 per cent. They cited weak economic growth and low commodity prices, along with plans to accelerate spending in the second half of the year, including for the free meals programme. They added that they expect the government to announce a wider fiscal deficit outlook in July, when finance officials typically submit a mid-year budget review to parliament. Ministries will also begin discussing their budgets and work plans for 2026 with lawmakers next month. Prabowo has acknowledged the challenges of the free meals drive while describing it as a long-term investment in Indonesia's future. 'Many people already express much negativity surrounding the free nutritious meal programme; they say it is an impossible programme,' he said in a Cabinet meeting last month, according to a statement. 'We need to prove them wrong.' 'We will call it a success, God willing, in December 2025,' he said. BLOOMBERG
