24 students and a teacher in Ketapang district, western Kalimantan province, Indonesia, were hospitalized after eating a free lunch meal at the end of September. The menu includes rice, shark fillets with tomato sauce, fried tofu, stir-fried cabbage with carrots and melon.
The incident has been controversial for many days in Indonesia as the cause has not yet been agreed upon. The Indonesian government said tofu and vegetables were poisoned, while the management board of a local school confirmed that the shark meat was the culprit.
Mr. Nanik Deyang, Deputy Director of the Indonesian National Nutrition Agency, said that shark meat is familiar to people in this area. Ms. Sri Hartini, Director of the Indonesian Environmental Forum in Kalimantan, also emphasized that sharks are often consumed because they are cheap and easy to buy, and said that processing must follow traditional methods.
However, nutritionist Nurfi Afriansyah warns that the mercury content in sharks can have a negative impact on the nervous system of children, pregnant women and those who breastfeed. He said that it is necessary to limit the consumption of fish with high mercury levels.
Dr. Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist, criticizes the inclusion of sharks in school menus as contrary to the goal of improving nutrition of the free meal program. He said that the lack of supervision in food selection and processing poses a potential risk to the program.
Since its implementation, this program has recorded nearly 6,500 cases of poisoning, affecting the health and trust of parents. President Prabowo Subianto still sets an expansion target, targeting 83 million women and children, with a budget of 10.3 billion USD this year and expected to double next year.
