Health ministry surveillance data as of September 2 recorded 50,059 people affected in 560 food-poisoning incidents tied to the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) program, spanning 245 districts and cities across 36 provinces, according to ABC News.
The latest wave of illnesses, reported between Tuesday and Thursday in East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh and South Sulawesi, affected about 1,950 students, teachers and Islamic boarding school pupils. No deaths have been reported, and authorities are investigating the causes.
The largest outbreak occurred at State Senior High School 1 Lasem in Central Java's Rembang regency, where 752 students and 25 teachers suffered diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain after eating MBG meals on Wednesday lunchtime, said Rembang Health Office head Ali Syofi'i.
"They had diarrhoea and took turns using the toilet," headteacher Juhartutik told BBC News Indonesia. "There are 40 toilets in total, so they can't accommodate everyone." The school sent nearly 1,200 pupils and 95 staff home, while several were hospitalised.
In Sidoarjo, East Java, 730 people, mostly students at the Manbaul Hikam Islamic boarding school, fell ill after eating MBG meals on Tuesday. Sidoarjo health office chief Lakhsmie Herawati Yuwantina said 706 victims had been discharged and were recovering at home.
Authorities also reported 276 suspected cases in Agam regency, West Sumatra, where food distribution from the local nutrition service centre was suspended pending investigation. In Aceh's Bener Meriah regency, 15 elementary students and a school principal were treated after experiencing dizziness and nausea. Another 152 students from two junior high schools in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, were treated at three hospitals.
The MBG program is a multibillion-dollar signature policy of President Prabowo Subianto, aimed at improving nutrition for schoolchildren across Indonesia. It has faced repeated food-poisoning incidents and corruption allegations since its launch.