September 22, 2025 | 04:10 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) of Indonesia will assemble a special investigation team to determine the cause of recent poisoning incidents linked to the free nutritious meal program (MBG).
The team will include nutrition experts, chemists, pharmacists, and collaborate closely with the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).
BGN Deputy Head Nanik S. Deyang explained that the team will comprise five to six specialists, though the agency is still finalizing the lineup and cannot yet disclose the members.
“We will indeed hire experts,” Nanik confirmed in a phone interview on Monday, September 22, 2025.
She added that the team will conduct on-site inspections at the affected schools to accelerate the investigation. By doing so, BGN hopes to reduce the typical one-to-two-week BPOM process to just three days.
“Quick identification of the poisoning sources means the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units, or school kitchens, won’t need to remain closed for long,” Nanik said. “We want to ensure children can continue receiving their meals without extended interruptions.”
In parallel, BGN will set up a separate team tasked with surveying kitchens nationwide. Their role will be to verify that cooking, packaging, and distribution processes comply with proper standards. “This is to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Nanik emphasized.
Since the MBG program launched in January, multiple poisoning cases have been reported. As of mid-September 2025, the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network recorded at least 5,360 children affected by contaminated meals.
The true number is believed to be higher, as some schools and local governments may have underreported cases.
“If these incidents were isolated, they could be dismissed as technical errors. But when thousands of children are affected across multiple regions, it’s clearly a systemic failure,” said JPPI National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji in a statement on Friday, September 19, 2025.
JPPI has urged the government to temporarily suspend the MBG program pending a comprehensive evaluation. The organization described the crisis as a national humanitarian emergency.
Ubaid stressed that President Prabowo must take responsibility and avoid treating students as “guinea pigs” for untested policies.
“If the President is serious about protecting the golden generation, MBG must be paused and thoroughly reassessed,” he said.
Dinda Shabrina contributed to the writing of this article.
Editor’s Choice: Why Calls to Suspend Prabowo's Free Nutritious Meal Program Are Growing Louder
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Why Calls to Suspend Prabowo's Free Nutritious Meal Program Are Growing Louder
5 jam lalu
The surge in food poisoning cases from Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program has fueled calls to suspend Prabowo's flagship initiative.
Why Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal Program Should Be Halted
20 jam lalu
The government is urged to halt and review the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program following recent cases of food poisoning.
Indonesia's Nutrition Agency Claims Free Meal Food Trays Used Are Free of Pork Oil
1 hari lalu
Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) claims that the food tray used for the Free Nutritious Meal program is free of pork oil.
Food Poisoning Rampant, Indonesian Govt to Urged to Halt Free Meal Program
1 hari lalu
KPAI's Deputy Chair criticizes the recent food poisoning incidents among Indonesian children, demanding a thorough evaluation of the free nutritious meal program.
Prabowo to Voice Global South Interests at UN General Assembly
1 hari lalu
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to speak at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, US on Tuesday, September 23.
President Prabowo to Deliver Speech at UN General Assembly
1 hari lalu
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
10 Students Still Hospitalized After Suspected Free Meal Poisoning in Garut, West Java
2 hari lalu
As many as 657 students in Garut Regency, West Java, are suspected to have been poisoned after consuming free meals from the MBG program.
5,000 Free Nutritious Meal Kitchens in Indonesia Suspected to Be Fictitious
3 hari lalu
A member of the House of Representatives revealed that there are thousands of free nutritious meal kitchens suspected to be fictitious.
JPPI Data: 5,360 Students Have Suffered Food Poisoning from State Free Meals
3 hari lalu
JPPI views the findings as evidence of the failure of the free nutritious meal governance controlled by the National Nutrition Body (BGN).
Education Watchdog Urges Prabowo to Halt Free Meal Program After Mass Food Poisoning
3 hari lalu
Pressure mounts following the surge in mass poisoning cases suspected to originate from the free nutritious meal program.
