Jakarta. Presidential spokesman Hasan Nasbi recently called for tighter food safety policies after tens of students got food poisoning during a free meal rollout in Sukoharjo, Central Java.

President Prabowo Subianto’s ambitious free meal program has entered its second week.

The program, however, hit a snag when 40 elementary school students in Sukoharjo felt nauseous and vomited after consuming a marinated chicken meal on Thursday morning. Hasan said that he had spoken with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) -- which is in charge of overseeing the free meal rollout -- after the incident.

“Forty kids who ate the chicken dish felt nauseous and vomited. But they have already received treatment at the local clinics. Their health has improved,” Hasan said on Thursday.

He added: “But this incident is important for us to really tighten the standard operating procedures, including making sure the quality and hygiene of the food served.”

According to Hasan, every school involved in the free meal program must immediately report to the public kitchen in charge of preparing the meals and the local clinics in case of such incidents. The kids should also immediately get meal replacements with an alternative dish to prevent further food poisoning. In Sukoharjo’s case, the school immediately pulled the chicken dish out of the menu and replaced it with eggs.

BGN has blamed the Sukoharjo food poisoning on “a technical error” when the public kitchen made the chicken dish. The local health department is currently inspecting the food sample from the Sukoharjo public kitchen. BGN has instructed public kitchens involved in the school feeding program to keep samples of their food for 48 hours.

The free meal program is one of Prabowo's key campaign promises. The retired army general intends to feed Indonesian schoolkids as well as expectant mothers government-aided nutritious meals to bring down the national stunting rate. The program aims to reach 82.9 million individuals by 2029. The government has set up hundreds of public kitchens to prepare the meals and is also working with local small enterprises to supply the ingredients.