Between Monday and Wednesday this week, 1,171 Indonesian school children fell ill with food poisoning, reports BBC Indonesia.
The poisonings are the latest in a long series of illnesses linked to President Prabowo Subianto's massive investment in nutritious free lunches in Indonesia's schools. Last week, 800 cases of food poisoning were registered among school students in western Java and central Sulawesi. The total number since January, when the project started, is estimated by the BBC to be several thousand.
Those affected have complained of stomach pain, nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath.
Now, increasing voices are being raised to pause the school meal project, but the government is persistent. President Prabowo has made the project with free school meals a central part of his leadership.
