19 Elementary Students in Blora Allegedly Suffer Food Poisoning from Free Nutritious Meal Program

A total of 19 students at Sendangrejo State Elementary School in Ngawen District, Blora Regency, Central Java, are suspected of having suffered food poisoning after consuming a meal from the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme on Monday. Several students reported smelling a foul odour from the milk and eggs served. Blora Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKP Zaenul Arifin stated that his office received a report regarding the suspected MBG poisoning at SDN Sendangrejo at around 9 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. He and his team immediately visited the school. Upon arrival, they gathered information from the headmaster and teachers. “From the teachers’ clarification, before the students felt nauseous, there was a report to the headmaster that the MBG meal smelled bad, particularly the milk. Because the milk inside the food container had burst,” Zaenul said during an interview on Tuesday. He explained that the MBG menu at SDN Sendangrejo on Monday consisted of rice, egg, stir-fried vegetables, grapes, and a 115-millilitre carton of UHT milk. “The milk, which was thought to smell bad and had burst, has been sent to the Blora Regional Health Laboratory for testing,” he said.