President Prabowo Subianto (center) responds questions raised by journalists in a press conference shortly after he arrives at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Saturday.  — The Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto on Monday defended his ambitious plan to provide free meals for children after some 6,000 cases of food poisoning, saying the percentage of those affected was small and the programmeme was still finding its footing.

The food poisonings have sparked a public outcry with TV channels broadcasting images of children being treated on hospital beds. Local non-profit organisations have called for the suspension of the programme.

The multibillion dollar initiative, which also offers free meals for pregnant women, has rapidly expanded since its launch in January with around 30 million recipients to date. It aims to reach 83 million by the year's end. 

"Yes, there were shortcomings, food poisoning. We counted all the meals served, the deviation, the deficiency, or error represents 0.00017 per cent," Prabowo said in a speech at a political party event.

There have been some 70 separate incidents. Two-thirds of 6,000 people affected have been in incidents since August.

Prabowo said the programme, which aims to prevent childhood stunting, has improved nutrition for many children, created jobs as well as opportunities for local farmers and fishermen to sell produce.

"This doesn't mean we're satisfied. But a human endeavour of this magnitude has never been undertaken before, I think, in the history of the world. It took Brazil 11 years to reach 40 million recipients," he said.

After a cabinet meeting over the weekend to discuss ways to prevent food poisoning, Prabowo ordered each kitchen in the programme to be given rapid testing equipment to check food quality, a food tray steriliser, a water filter and CCTV connected to the central government for monitoring.

The National Nutrition Agency said last week that of the 9,000 kitchens in the programme, 40 had been closed for not meeting standards.

The programme has also raised concerns that it may not be fiscally sustainable. A budget of Rp 335 trillion ($20 billion) has been allotted for next year, triple the estimated spending of Rp 99 trillion rupiah for 2025.

Underscoring the sensitivity of the issue, Prabowo's office temporarily revoked  a palace reporting credential for a reporter over the weekend after she asked Prabowo how he planned to deal with the food poisoning cases.

In May, President Prabowo has also lauded the number of illnesses from food poisoning as a positive. "Indeed there was a poisoning today, around 200 people out of three million," he said.

"Over five were hospitalised, so that means the success rate is 99.99 per cent. A 99.99 per cent success rate in any field is a good thing." — The Jakarta Post/ANN