Batang. At least 276 people, ranging from a 10-month-old baby to elderly residents, fell ill in a suspected mass food-poisoning incident linked to Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meals program in Batang, Central Java, local authorities said.

The incident occurred in Bawang district and affected students and family members who consumed meals distributed under the flagship government program, known by its Indonesian abbreviation MBG.

No deaths have been reported, Batang Regent M. Faiz Kurniawan said Thursday.

“The ages vary. The youngest is 10 months old, while there are also adults and possibly elderly people,” Faiz said while visiting patients at Kalisari Regional Hospital.

The Batang administration said 276 people were recorded as affected as of Wednesday night, though the figure remains subject to change as authorities continue collecting data.

The suspected poisoning affected recipients connected to 11 educational institutions served by the same MBG kitchen in Bawang, according to Deputy Regent Suyono.

The kitchen serves around 2,700 beneficiaries across the 11 institutions.

“The victims include students and their parents. Some parents are believed to have consumed food that their children brought home,” Suyono said.

Although the meals are distributed through schools and other educational institutions, some students take uneaten portions home, allowing other family members to consume them.

Patients reported symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and weakness, with some requiring hospital treatment.

The large number of patients put pressure on local medical facilities, with some treated in hospital corridors because of limited room capacity.

The Batang administration said medical costs for those affected would be covered by the local government.

Authorities have temporarily suspended operations at the MBG kitchen serving the affected institutions while samples of the food undergo laboratory testing. Officials said the precise cause of the illnesses has not yet been established.

Local health authorities have therefore stopped short of identifying any particular food item as the source of the suspected poisoning pending laboratory results.

Recurring Food Safety Concerns
The Batang incident adds to persistent food-safety concerns surrounding the Free Nutritious Meals program, one of President Prabowo Subianto's flagship initiatives.

The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, or JPPI, an independent watchdog, said it had recorded 43,838 people affected in food-poisoning incidents associated with the program between its launch in January 2025 and August 2026, with cases reported across 36 provinces.

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the program, has responded to previous incidents by suspending kitchens while investigations are conducted. Earlier this month, for example, the agency imposed a 30-day suspension on an MBG kitchen in Sidoarjo, East Java, following a food-safety incident and removed the head of the kitchen pending further evaluation.

In Batang, investigators are examining the preparation and distribution process at the kitchen serving the affected schools.

According to a preliminary account from kitchen volunteers, including one who also developed symptoms after tasting the food, cooking began at around 2 a.m. Wednesday and was completed at about 9 a.m., before the meals were distributed around lunchtime.

Authorities have not established whether the preparation timeline, storage conditions, ingredients or another factor caused the illnesses.

Laboratory testing is underway to determine the source of the suspected poisoning.

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