BGN affirms strict food safety measures for free nutritious meals programme at SPPG level
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has affirmed that food safety for the free nutritious meals (MBG) programme is being strictly maintained down to the level of Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG).
Deputy for Systems and Governance at BGN, Tigor Pangaribuan, stated that the agency has prepared several strategic steps to ensure that the food served is safe for beneficiaries.
“So from the National Nutrition Agency, we have prepared that—at the very least, there are three aspects in the context of food safety,” said Tigor at the Food Summit 2026 in Jakarta on Monday.
He explained that the first aspect is strengthening governance from the infrastructure side. In this regard, BGN has set strict standards for SPPGs as field implementing units.
SPPGs are required to be located in hygienic areas and equipped with appropriate facilities, including the use of stainless steel equipment to maintain cleanliness and food safety.
Additionally, SPPG locations must be close to beneficiaries to avoid the risk of food spoilage due to prolonged distribution.
The second aspect regulated is the selection of food ingredients. BGN emphasises that raw materials must be fresh, of good quality, and traceable in origin. The procurement of food ingredients must also go through cooperatives or accountable parties to maintain transparency and quality.
If food ingredients that do not meet standards are found, the head of the SPPG has the authority to reject and return them.
The third aspect is the regulation of the food processing process, which is also detailed in technical guidelines.
BGN stipulates that cooking should not be done too early, with the cooking start time set around 2:00 a.m. to ensure the food remains fresh when served.
Furthermore, every kitchen or SPPG is required to have Standard Sanitation Hygiene (SLHS) certification as a guarantee of quality.
Tigor added that at the operational level, direct supervision is carried out by the head of the SPPG and nutrition experts who ensure the nutritional content meets standards.
Meanwhile, at the central level, supervision is conducted by the BGN Deputy for Monitoring and Supervision, which is tasked with ensuring all standards are properly implemented.
He revealed that there are currently around 27,000 SPPGs spread across Indonesia, covering 514 districts and various sub-districts. This number is planned to continue increasing to around 32,000 SPPGs in the future.
With such a large number, supervision is conducted intensively every day by a team of fewer than 150 people.
To support the effectiveness of supervision, all SPPGs are required to install surveillance cameras (CCTV) that can be monitored periodically.
Additionally, every SPPG is required to upload daily menus to the system portal as part of transparency and quality control.