Hundreds of students fall sick in Indonesia's Surabaya after consuming state programme's free meals

SURABAYA: Around 200 students from across East Java’s Surabaya suffered food poisoning symptoms, after consuming state-provided free nutritious meals.

According to local media reports on Sunday (May 17), the students from 12 kindergartens, elementary and junior high schools in Tembok Dukuh subdistrict fell ill after eating the food on May 11. 

Most of the students complained of dizziness, nausea and vomiting. The majority underwent only light medical examinations, though some were treated at the IBI Mother and Child Hospital in Surabaya.

As of the afternoon of May 11, no students had been reported to require hospitalisation.  

Tembok Dukuh Community Health Centre (Puskesmas) head Tiyas Pranadani confirmed that the suspected poisoning was linked to free meals distributed by a single nutrition fulfilment service unit (SPPG).

“There are several schools that received food from one SPPG, and almost all of them complained. Nearly everyone reported symptoms,” she said at the IBI Hospital lobby, as cited by Sunday’s media reports.

Tiyas said preliminary suspicion pointed to the meat dish served that day (May 11).

“From our monitoring and reports from teachers, usually the meals don’t include meat,” she said. “So maybe, this is still a possibility, maybe it came from meat, because until now students had never received meat.”  

Food samples were collected and sent to the Health Laboratory Centre (BBLK) for testing in coordination with the Surabaya health agency, to determine the cause of the children’s symptoms.

“We are rechecking. Samples have been taken on site and will be examined at BBLK,” Tiyas said. 

Some students reported negative experiences of eating that day’s beef dish, with Gibran, a student at SD Raden Wijaya, saying the food smelled good but the beef tasted bitter. 

“I didn’t finish it. I put it in my lunch box,” he said, as quoted by local media platform the Jakarta Post. 

Cicilia, an affected student at SDN Tembok Dukuh III, who was put on an IV drip, said she “only tasted a little, then threw it away”.

After withdrawing all remaining meals, Tembok Dukuh SPPG head Chafi Alida Najla issued a public apology. 

“On behalf of SPPG Tembok Dukuh Bubutan, I extend my deepest apologies to all affected parties, to the students and teachers who suffered poisoning from our food,” she said, as quoted by the Jakarta Post. 

“We will take full responsibility for medical treatment and all field observations.” 

Chafi stressed that her unit would suspend operations until laboratory test results were released and confirmed that the SPPG had been certified by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) since beginning operations in February 2026.

Despite suspending its operation, the SPPG is eligible for the daily fee of 6 million rupiah (US$340) from BGN. It has pledged to cover all medical costs for affected students.

Prabowo’s ambitious US$28 million free meals programme was launched last January with an aim to feed nearly 90 million children and pregnant women.

Since the programme's launch, thousands of children across the country have fallen ill as a result of food poisoning.