By Novali Panji Nugroho
Copyright tempo
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Indonesian government held a cross-ministerial coordination meeting to discuss the continuation of the free nutritious meal program (MBG) following a surge in mass food poisoning cases linked to the program. The meeting took place for three hours at the Ministry of Health office in Jakarta on Sunday, September 28, 2025.Those who attended the coordination meeting included Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Head Dadan Hindayana, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, and State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi.Also present were Presidential Chief of Staff Muhammad Qodari, Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) Head Taruna Ikrar, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifah Fauzi, as well as Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Fajar Riza Ul Haq.Zulkifli Hasan, also known as Zulhas, announced that six points were agreed upon during the coordination meeting regarding the continuation of the MBG. He stated that the government had agreed to shut down the problematic Fulfillment Nutrition Service Units (SPPG). The closure assessment would be conducted during the evaluation and investigation period.Another point agreed upon, Zulhas explained, was regarding the cooks at SPPG or MBG kitchens. He said that the government would evaluate the discipline, quality, and abilities of all cooks working for SPPG.”Thirdly, SPPG is required to sterilize all eating utensils, and the sanitation process needs to be improved, especially the quality and flow of waste,” said Zulhas after the coordination meeting on Sunday, September 28, 2025.The fourth point of agreement was that President Prabowo Subianto instructed all ministries, local governments, and all stakeholders to actively participate in monitoring this government priority program. Zulhas stated that stakeholders were instructed not to wait for each other in monitoring the MBG program.Zulhas continued that the coordination meeting also agreed to mandate that all MBG kitchens have a certificate of hygiene and sanitation suitability (SLHS). The SLHS is a written recognition from the health department that a business has met standard quality requirements, as well as hygienic and sanitation health criteria.The last point agreed upon regarding the continuation of the MBG program was the empowerment of health services. Zulhas stated that the government would utilize community health centers (Puskesmas) and school health units (UKS) to regularly monitor SPPG.”Instruct the Puskesmas and UKS to actively participate without being asked,” said Zulhas.As of September 2025, the free nutritious meal program had caused over 6,000 students to suffer from food poisoning. The most recent and highest number of cases occurred in West Bandung Regency, with 1,309 victims.In response to the MBG poisoning cases, President Prabowo Subianto referred to the incidents as a major issue. He also acknowledged that there were shortcomings in the implementation of his campaign promise’s priority program.However, he cautioned against politicizing the MBG poisoning incidents. He believed that there would inevitably be obstacles in providing nutritious meals to tens of millions of children. “The purpose of providing nutritious meals is for our children, who often struggle to eat. They only eat plain rice with salt,” said Prabowo on Saturday, September 27, 2025.Dede Leni and Hendrik Yaputra contributed to this articleEditor’s Choice: Indonesian Govt Accelerates Eligibility Certification for Free Meal Kitchens to Prevent PoisoningClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
