Raw catfish sparks nationwide shutdown of free meal kitchens in Indonesia

More than 2,200 kitchens in Indonesia have been shut down for failing to obtain hygiene certification. Read more at straitstimes.com.

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the government’s free meal programme, has temporarily halted operations at more than 2,200 kitchens nationwide for failing to obtain mandatory hygiene certification.

This comes amid growing complaints about meal quality and safety, particularly during the fasting month of Ramadan.

The programme has again drawn public criticism after clips showing meal packages containing raw marinated catfish circulated widely on social media.

A total of 1,022 meal packages, which also included uncooked tempeh and tofu, had been prepared for distribution to students at state senior high school SMAN 2 Pamekasan in East Java on March 9.

The packages, intended to cover three days of meals, were immediately rejected by the school’s principal over concerns that they could endanger students’ health.

“On Monday, the free meal allocation meant to cover three days until Wednesday was rejected... I apologise to the kitchen that prepared the meals, but the school made this decision for the safety of the children,” school principal Arifin told journalists on March 10.