BGN Chief Elevates Free Nutritious Meal Poisoning Status to Fatal Incident

The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sudaryono, has elevated the status of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) poisoning case from a notable incident to a fatal incident. “We have raised the status; the poisoning case is no longer a notable incident but a fatal incident, because it concerns a person’s life and health condition,” he said in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Monday. According to him, the health, safety conditions, and life of a child who has been cared for and protected by their family members are paramount. “We hope the poisoning case in Semarang, Central Java, will be the first and the last since I became the head of this agency. Whenever there is a poisoning case, we will impose strict sanctions. Firstly, the kitchen or the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) will be suspended while we investigate the laboratory results with the local Health Office,” Sudaryono stated. He added that the investigation would determine whether hygiene standards were not met, including an internal investigation into the employees working there, particularly the person most responsible, the head of the SPPG. He stressed that for any suspended MBG kitchen, the head of the SPPG will be automatically dismissed, while the BGN investigates whether negligence or other factors occurred. Sudaryono affirmed that the BGN enforces zero tolerance for any poisoning status because it involves the lives and health conditions of the beneficiaries. “We want to be as transparent as possible and provide the widest possible information to the public, including parents, teachers, and the Education Office, regarding what menu the state provides to their children, its nutritional content, which SPPG the menu was cooked in, and who the head of the SPPG is. God willing, in the future this can be connected to CCTV to provide a sense of comfort to teachers and parents,” Sudaryono said.