47 Free Nutritious Meal Service Units Temporarily Halted During Ramadan Due to Mouldy and Rotten Food

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has temporarily halted operations of 47 Nutrition Service Provision Units (SPPG) until day nine of the suspension period. This decision follows repeated findings of Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) menus that failed to meet quality standards and food safety requirements.

According to data from the Deputy for Monitoring and Supervision as of 28 February 2026 at 11:20 WIB, the 47 cases are distributed across three regional work areas. Region I recorded 5 incidents, Region II 30 incidents, and Region III 12 incidents. Findings included mouldy bread, rotten and maggot-infested fruit, spoilt side dishes, raw or rotten eggs, and meals deemed non-compliant with quality standards.

Deputy Head of BGN, Nanik S Deyang, emphasised that the temporary suspension is part of a non-negotiable quality control mechanism.

“We do not tolerate deviations from food standards in this programme. Every finding is immediately acted upon with temporary operational suspension for comprehensive evaluation,” Nanik stated in Jakarta on Saturday (28/2/2026).

According to Nanik, the suspension decision was made following field verification processes and hierarchical reports from regional supervisory teams. The evaluation covered not only food products but also kitchen management, distribution chains, and quality control procedures.

“The MBG programme concerns children’s health and the state’s credibility in guaranteeing nutritional intake. Therefore, we conduct our oversight strictly and transparently,” he added.

In several cases, food identified as unfit for consumption was withdrawn before students consumed it. However, BGN imposed administrative sanctions as a measure to enforce standards and provide systematic learning for all service providers.

“SPPG units that are suspended can resume operations after all improvement recommendations are fulfilled and they pass re-verification. We want to ensure quality is genuinely maintained before services resume,” Nanik concluded.