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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Michael Neilson in Cisarua

Maggots in the meals, glass in the rice: Indonesia’s free school meals tainted by food poisoning

Children photographed from above eating from compartmented food trays on a table
The Indonesian government’s free nutritious meals programme continues despite food poisoning cases reported in some parts of the country. Photograph: Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA

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.

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