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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said that the rate of food poisoning from free nutritious meals (MBG) is still within the humanitarian corridor when compared to tens of millions of its beneficiaries.Prabowo said that in the first year of his government, the free meal program has provided 12,508 nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG) out of the 32,000 target. This means, Prabowo stated, that 1.4 billion portions have been distributed to 36.7 million MBG beneficiaries such as school children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and toddlers.Prabowo mentioned that 36.7 million MBG beneficiaries are equivalent to six times the population of Singapore. He claimed this number as an achievement since Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva reportedly took 11 years to reach 11 million recipients.Prabowo asked the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, not to force the number of recipients despite its proper implementation. He stated that providing MBG to 36.7 million people is not without flaws, as there have been cases of food poisoning."There are several thousands who suffered from food poisoning, stomachache, but if we look at the statistics, 8,000 out of 1.4 billion (portions) still fall within the margin of error that is humane," said Prabowo during a full cabinet session at the State Palace, Jakarta, on October 20, 2025.He also observed that the percentage of food poisoning cases is around 0.0007 out of the total MBG portions distributed. Therefore, Prabowo stated that 99.99 percent has been successful."There is almost no human effort carried out over a period of one hundred years with such a huge volume that is zero error, zero defect. Very difficult," said Prabowo.However, Prabowo requested Dadan to establish strict procedures for the implementation of MBG to prevent any deviations. "We also have to ensure that all the teachers involved are dedicated to educating our children that they should wash their hands properly before eating with their hands," he said. "Clean water and soap should be available in every school."Dadan has closed SPPGs or nutritious free meal kitchens that do not meet the operational standards. He has taken firm action against SPPGs following the mass food poisoning cases experienced by school students and teachers some time ago after consuming MBG."Currently, 106 of them have been suspended, and only 12 have been released," said the Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana at the Presidential Palace Complex, Central Jakarta, on Monday, October 20, 2025.On the other hand, Dadan emphasized that they have been collaborating with the Indonesian Ministry of Health in updating the MBG poisoning data. Dadan stated that the data can be monitored directly through the official BGN website.Editor's Choice: Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal Food Poisoning Toll Increases Again to 13,168 PeopleClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
