Jakarta, September 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: President Prabowo Subianto has directed the strengthening of governance within the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) following a recent outbreak of food poisoning linked to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
The directive was discussed during a coordination meeting in Jakarta on Sunday, attended by several ministries and agencies, including the Coordinating Ministry for Food.
State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said the government’s immediate priority is addressing food poisoning incidents recently reported in West Bandung District, West Java, and several other regions.
At a press conference after the meeting, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan announced a set of measures to ensure the MBG program’s safe implementation. These include:
- suspending kitchens linked to food poisoning cases,
- requiring all MBG kitchens to obtain hygiene and sanitation certificates, and
- directing Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin to strengthen the role of community health centers and the school health program in supervising meal preparation.
Hasan underlined that the involvement of regional health authorities is critical to guaranteeing the safety and nutritional quality of meals provided under the program. A follow-up coordination meeting has been scheduled for October 1 to finalize strategic steps.
Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian said his ministry would convene a virtual meeting on September 29 with all regional heads to discuss supervision and enforcement of hygiene standards in MBG kitchens.
“We will meet with all regional heads, health office heads, education office heads, and regional secretaries. The Health Minister will also attend to provide technical instructions,” Karnavian stated.
The BGN has reported around 70 food poisoning cases related to the MBG program between January and September 2025, affecting 5,914 beneficiaries nationwide.
