Latest news with #WizdanRidhoAbimanyu
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Health
- Saudi Gazette
More than 300 ill in Indonesia after eating free school lunches
JAKARTA -- Some 365 people have fallen ill in an Indonesian town after eating school lunches, the largest spate of food poisonings to hit President Prabowo Subianto's free meals program so far. The meals have temporarily been suspended in Sragen, in central Java, as food samples are being tested for contamination, local authorities said. The program - which costs an estimated $28bn (£21bn) - delivers on a campaign promise by the president to combat stunting in the country. But it has been plagued by a string of food poisonings, as well as criticisms that its high price tag has put considerable strain on the government's finances - with several ministries having their budgets cut as a result. Wizdan Ridho Abimanyu, a ninth-grader in Sragen, told Reuters he was awakened in the middle of the night by a sharp pain in his stomach. He suffered from diarrhoea and a headache, which he suspected was caused by food poisoning. He later saw schoolmates complaining of similar symptoms in their social media alleged culprit was a meal comprising turmeric rice, scrambled eggs, fried tempeh, a cucumber salad and a box of milk - all prepared in a central kitchen and distributed to several schools in government has said it would cover any medical expenses incurred as a result."We cannot draw any specific conclusions right away," Sigit Pamungkas, leader of the town's government, had told Indonesia's Tempo newspaper."But the main point is that it's not just [happening here]," he said, adding that the free meals program as a whole "needs to be more stringent and more hygienic".More than 1000 people across the country have fallen ill since the launch of the ambitious program in January, which is aimed at feeding the country's 80 million school had ordered $19bn in cuts to pay for the free meal scheme - along with other populist schemes. As a result, several ministries had their budgets slashed by half and bucreaucrats alleged that they were forced to scrimp by limiting the use of air conditioners, lifts and even took to the streets as a result, with one protest sign reading: "Children eat for free, parents are laid off".But on Friday, Prabowo defended the programme in his first State of the National Address, saying that it along with other social initiatives will help transform Indonesia into a country that is "free from poverty, free from hunger, free from suffering". -- BBC
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Indonesia: More than 300 hit by food poisoning after eating free school meals
Some 365 people have fallen ill in an Indonesian town after eating school lunches, the largest spate of food poisonings to hit President Prabowo Subianto's free meals programme so far. The meals have temporarily been suspended in Sragen, in central Java, as food samples are being tested for contamination, local authorities program - which costs an estimated $28bn (£21bn) - delivers on a campaign promise by the president to combat stunting in the country. But it has been plagued by a string of food poisonings, as well as criticisms that its high price tag has put considerable strain on the government's finances - with several ministries having their budgets cut as a result. Wizdan Ridho Abimanyu, a ninth-grader in Sragen, told Reuters he was awakened in the middle of the night by a sharp pain in his suffered from diarrhoea and a headache, which he suspected was caused by food poisoning. He later saw schoolmates complaining of similar symptoms in their social media alleged culprit was a meal comprising turmeric rice, scrambled eggs, fried tempeh, a cucumber salad and a box of milk - all prepared in a central kitchen and distributed to several schools in government has said it would cover any medical expenses incurred as a result. "We cannot draw any specific conclusions right away," Sigit Pamungkas, leader of the town's government, had told Indonesia's Tempo newspaper."But the main point is that it's not just [happening here]," he said, adding that the free meals programme as a whole "needs to be more stringent and more hygienic". More than 1000 people across the country have fallen ill since the launch of the ambitious program in January, which is aimed at feeding the country's 80 million school children. Prabowo had ordered $19bn in cuts to pay for the free meal scheme - along with other populist schemes. As a result, several ministries had their budgets slashed by half and bucreaucrats alleged that they were forced to scrimp by limiting the use of air conditioners, lifts and even printers. Thousands took to the streets as a result, with one protest sign reading: "Children eat for free, parents are laid off". But on Friday, Prabowo defended the programme in his first State of the National Address, saying that it along with other social initiatives will help transform Indonesia into a country that is "free from poverty, free from hunger, free from suffering".
CNN
2 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Hundreds hit by food poisoning in Indonesia after eating free school meals
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 program. Since its launch in January, the free school meals program 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 of 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 program, 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.
