Over 1,000 children in West Java have fallen ill this week after consuming school lunches, officials reported, marking the latest outbreak linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s multi-billion-dollar free meals programme. Governor Dedi Mulyadi told Reuters on Thursday that the cases occurred across four areas of the province, prompting calls from NGOs to temporarily suspend the programme over health concerns.

The incidents follow last week’s poisoning of 800 students in West Java and Central Sulawesi, also tied to the government’s free nutritious meals initiative. The programme, which has expanded rapidly to reach over 20 million recipients and aims to feed 83 million by year-end, has faced criticism over its safety standards and oversight. Its current budget of 171 trillion rupiah (S$13.13 billion) is expected to double next year.

Governor Mulyadi reported that more than 470 students in West Bandung fell ill on Monday after eating the free lunches, with three additional outbreaks on Wednesday in West Bandung and the Sukabumi region affecting at least 580 children. He emphasized the need to evaluate those managing the programme and to address the trauma suffered by students, noting that local hospitals were overwhelmed.

Prabowo’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Dadan Hindayana, head of the National Nutrition Agency overseeing the programme, confirmed that kitchens linked to the outbreaks have been suspended. Fifteen-year-old Lisa Bila Zahara said she became sick after eating chicken and tofu cooked with soy sauce on Wednesday. “Around 30 minutes later, I felt nauseous and had a headache,” she told Reuters at a sports hall converted into a makeshift treatment centre in West Bandung. Zahara added that she wants the programme stopped, fearing another incident, and her mother has since prohibited her from consuming the free meals.

Since the programme’s launch in January, at least 6,452 children nationwide have experienced food poisoning, according to the think tank Network for Education Watch. Governor Mulyadi explained that kitchens were tasked with feeding too many students and were often located far from schools, forcing them to start cooking very early, sometimes the night before. When the food was placed on trays while still warm, it would spoil, he said, prompting authorities to declare a health emergency. Iqbal Maulana, head of one of the kitchens, stated that meals were prepared according to standard operating procedures.