Jakarta. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has reported more than 11,000 cases of food poisoning, mostly among students, linked to the government’s flagship Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, which was launched to improve public nutrition nationwide.

BGN head Dadan Hindayana told lawmakers on Wednesday that 211 food poisoning incidents had been traced to the initiative, accounting for nearly half of all food poisoning cases nationwide.

“As of today, there have been 441 food poisoning incidents across Indonesia. The program contributed 211 of those, or around 48 percent of the total,” Dadan said during a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission IX, which oversees health and labor affairs.

According to BGN data, 636 beneficiaries of the program required hospitalization, while the Health Ministry recorded 638 inpatient cases. Outpatient cases were recorded at 11,004 by BGN and 12,755 by the Health Ministry.

“Based on Health Ministry reports, a total of 13,371 beneficiaries have experienced health issues related to the Makanan Bergizi program,” Dadan said.

Despite the figures, he noted that most of the program’s implementation had proceeded smoothly. The initiative has distributed roughly 1.8 billion portions of prepared meals nationwide, he added.

“Alhamdulillah, most of it has gone well,” Dadan said.

The National Nutrition Agency previously reported that the program had reached over 42 million beneficiaries in all 38 provinces, including children, pregnant women, and Islamic boarding school students.