November 12, 2025 | 10:06 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Cases of food poisoning from the free nutritious meal (MBG) program continue to emerge since President Prabowo Subianto’s priority initiative was launched on January 6, 2025. The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network recorded 16,109 people as victims of MBG poisoning as of Friday, October 31. The highest number of cases occurred in October, with nearly 7,000 victims.
Amid the chaos, the Palace instructed Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin to step in. The Health Ministry began investigating the possible causes of MBG poisoning in various locations. According to Budi, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), as the program’s administrator, needs to involve local health offices and community health centers to prevent further incidents.
Speaking to Tempo journalists Sunudyantoro, Erwan Hermawan, Egi Adyatama, Ninis Chairunnisa, Friski Riana, Yosea Arga Pramudita, and Dinda Shabrina, Budi explained the causes and mitigation efforts of the MBG poisoning. “It’s moving too fast, but the supervision and execution aren’t ready,” Budi said in his office in the Kuningan area, South Jakarta, on Monday, October 27.
The former Chief Executive Officer of Bank Mandiri also talked about the government’s priority programs in the health sector and his often tense relationship with the country’s doctors. Below are excerpts of the interview.
The number of MBG poisoning cases is alarmingly high. What has the Health Ministry found to be the cause?
There are two most common causes: water quality and the time lapse between cooking and consumption. The water contained E. coli. We found that 70 percent of the water came from wells and groundwater. As for timing, the World Health Organization sets a maximum limit of four hours from cooking to consumption. Here, it’s seven to eight hours. Meals are cooked at midnight, finished by 3am, delivered around 6am or 7am, and eaten at 9 or even 11am. Bacteria will inevitably develop. When poisoning occurred, we tested the samples in the lab. It turned out to be caused by water and the excessive delay.
The National Nutrition Agency says the culprit is nitrite.
Nitrite was present, but it wasn’t the main cause. According to our protocol, when poisoning occurs, food samples must be sent to a health laboratory for testing. There are two types of tests: toxicology, to detect chemicals, and bacteriology. Toxicology tests showed elevated nitrite levels, but the overall incidence was low. Bacteriology tests, on the other hand, revealed a high prevalence of E. coli.
What causes nitrite contamination?
It could come from the ingredients themselves, poor hygiene during preparation. It could also come from trays or cooking surfaces that aren’t properly cleaned. Contamination can happen.
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