Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto claimed Monday that his signature free meal program had a success rate of 99.99 percent, saying that only a small number of kids had caught food poisoning. Prabowo also revealed that the school-feeding initiative had caught American businessman Bill Gates’ attention, whom he would be meeting on Wednesday.

Prabowo had gathered his ministers at Jakarta's presidential palace, with the free meal program becoming a major topic of discussion.

Since early January, Indonesia has been dishing out trays of nutrient-rich meals to its school students and expectant mothers to counter malnutrition. The program’s reach gradually increases, now feeding 3.4 million individuals everyday, according to Prabowo's estimates. As the distribution picks up pace, Prabowo remained confident that the meals could make their way to the targeted 82.9 million people by the end of November.

Despite this optimism, Prabowo acknowledged that the ambitious program -- which helped him secure presidency -- was not without flaws, citing the food poisoning incidents. He, however, claimed that only a few had to stay at the hospital for treatment.

“If I remember correctly, 200 people out of the 3 million recipients caught food poisoning or had stomach ache. Only five people had to be hospitalized for inpatient care. … So the [food poisoning rate] would be 0.005 percent. That would bring the success rate to 99.99 percent,” Prabowo said.

The ex-defense minister put the blame on Indonesia’s long-standing tradition of eating with hands rather than using cutlery. He alleged that some children might have not washed their hands beforehand, saying that the parents should teach the kids to do so.

“Perhaps the lunch trays did not come with spoons, so the parents should take initiative to make sure their kids bring their cutlery. … Or maybe we can try finding spoons that aren’t that expensive,” Prabowo remarked.

Prabowo also flagged a potential lactose intolerance problem as milk is often served in the meals.

Commenting on Gates’ upcoming meeting, Prabowo said that the billionaire would like to express his “support and appreciation” for the program. The Microsoft co-founder is currently in Singapore to announce a local office for his philanthropy Gates Foundation.

“Don't praise us just yet, ... because I don’t think we have succeeded. ... Only if we have distributed hygienic, safe, nutritious meals to 82.9 million individuals every day do we deserve congratulations," the retired army general said.

He also unveiled Gates’ plans to back the free meal program, although the president admitted to not knowing the details on the  assistance. Prabowo added: “I will tell Gates that with or without his support, Indonesia is doing this because it is the right thing to do. This is like investing in our children, and it reflects our intention to combat poverty.”

Indonesia initially budgeted Rp 71 trillion ($4.3 billion) for this year's meal rollout. However, the government has decided to increase the annual budget to Rp 171 trillion to be able to cook for 82.9 million people daily by the end of this year. Indonesia had spent Rp 2.3 trillion so far for this Herculean program as of April 29, the Finance Ministry reported.  

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