Rini Irawati feared the worst when she found her teenage daughter Nabila pale and barely breathing in an emergency centre in Indonesia’s West Java. “My heart was shattered,” Rini said.

After consuming one of the government’s free school meals this October, 16-year-old Nabila and 500 other students at schools in her area became violently ill. “I’ve seen nothing like it, even during Covid-19,” said Aep Kunaepi, who works at the shelter Nabila was taken to before she was admitted to hospital for three days.

The Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, in January unveiled his flagship free meals programme to combat malnutrition and stunted growth. But thousands have been poisoned by the government-provided food since, sparking concern the programme is putting child safety at risk.

The £3.2bn free meal programme provides daily meals to 39 million school students, toddlers, pregnant women and new mothers, according to the national nutrition agency, known as BGN. By year end the target is to reach 83 million.

But experts say the government needs to get it right before scaling up the programme, with Prabowo’s signature policy marred by consecutive food poisoning outbreaks. On social media, complaints have flooded in about maggots in tempeh, shards of glass in rice, and food trays washed in dirty water, while mothers’ groups have organised mass protests.

Rini Irawati, with her daughter Nabila, 16, who sustained food poisoning after eating a government-provided free meal in West Java, Indonesia, October 2025. Photograph: Michael Neilson

‘We admit we are not perfect’

The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, an NGO, has documented more than 15,000 cases of poisoning linked to the programme nationwide, and the outbreaks do not appear to be slowing. This September, more than 1,300 children fell ill in Cipongkor, West Java, with other outbreaks in Yogyakarta, Central Java and Sumatra.

Jakarta-based nutritionist Dr Tan Shot Yen, representing an advocacy group called the Mother and Child Health Movement, said the government’s focus on scale had put children’s lives at risk. “This programme’s implementation has been careless,” she said. “Bacterial contamination like salmonella or E coli could become endemic if unchecked.”

Prabowo has played down the scale of the problem, saying that of more than a billion meals served, poisoning cases represented just “0.0017% – quite a proud achievement”. He also said the policy had improved school attendance and achievement.

Facing mounting anger, Prabowo last week drafted a decree on new regulations to improve food safety. BGN head Dadan Hindayana said the government’s goal was to reach “zero incidents” through stricter hygiene and smaller kitchen operations. The agency plans to expand to 32,000 kitchens by next year, with a budget equivalent to £15.2bn by 2026.

Free meals being delivered at an elementary school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 30 October 2025. Photograph: Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA

BGN spokeswoman Dian Fatwa said investigations into food poisoning incidents found improper food storage, poor sanitation and late delivery of cooked meals were often to blame.

The agency temporarily suspended 132 kitchens, with 27 retrained and cleared to reopen. “We admit we are not perfect,” she said. “But we are improving constantly.”

Fatwa said their official count of food poisoning incidents was much lower than those reported by NGOs. By the end of September, the agency had confirmed 6,517 cases.

Experts, however, say the new safeguards come too late. Diah Saminarsih, founder of the Centre for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives, accused the “gigantic” programme of being dangerously rushed.

“In West Java one kitchen may cater to 3,500 students,” she said. “There’s no way a nutritionist can control quality under those conditions.

“A project costing [£15.2bn] cannot operate without a strong regulatory framework,” she added. “Who is accountable when children get poisoned?”

Indonesian political researcher Made Supriatma, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said the programme was meant as a “quick win” for Prabowo’s first 100 days in office but had backfired.

“It has turned into a huge problem for Prabowo,” he said. “It is getting bad attention – people are angry right now.”

Supriatma said there were also concerns about the police and military running some kitchens, which he said reflected a “reversion to authoritarianism” and deepening patronage politics. The presidential palace did not respond to questions about these claims, but the government has previously denied accusations of an authoritarian turn.

“This has one of the biggest budgets in history, yet there is not one single regulation which ensures it will be managed in a transparent and accountable way,” said Egi Primayogha of Indonesia Corruption Watch.

Workers prepare the free meals at a kitchen in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, Indonesia, November 2025. Photograph: Michael Neilson

During a government-arranged media visit to a kitchen and school in South Jakarta, the Guardian observed the delivery of hundreds of meals of rice, chicken and vegetables, prepared by staff in crisp white uniforms.

Saidah, principal of Cipedak primary school, said the programme had made a real difference for many families struggling with rising food prices.

At a later delivery, one breastfeeding mother, Rohmani, said she felt reassured knowing she could provide adequate nutrition to her baby. Five of her other children also received the meals.

But not everyone is convinced. Nabila’s mother welcomed the free lunches at first but says after her daughter’s experience she is no longer an advocate.

“We’re talking about children’s lives,” she said, “I don’t want other parents and their children to have to go through anything like this.”